Champions Left Frustrated by Resilient Brighton Display

Manchester City were left frustrated by a resilient Brighton & Hove Albion display on Wednesday, as the visitors secured a well-earned 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium. The result represents the champions’ third consecutive Premier League match without a win and leaves them five points behind Arsenal.
City took the lead four minutes before halftime through an Erling Haaland penalty. The Norwegian converted after VAR confirmed that Diego Gomez had fouled Jeremy Doku inside the penalty area. The goal was Haaland’s 150th for the club, ended a three-match goal drought, and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
The second half saw City attempt to build on their advantage, with Bernardo Silva almost doubling the lead when he intercepted a Brighton error. However, his shot struck the post, keeping the visitors in contention. The match’s intensity increased when City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaged in a heated confrontation, with both goalkeepers shown yellow cards.
Brighton’s equalizer came in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who demonstrated composure and quality. The Japanese international received a pass from the flank, positioned himself at the edge of the penalty area, and guided a low shot into the far corner with precision.
The visitors assumed control after leveling the score, dictating the tempo and creating several opportunities to claim all three points. Mitoma was instrumental in Brighton’s best chance, finding Gomez inside the penalty area, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s rebound attempt from a tight angle struck the post. City had one final opportunity to secure victory when Haaland broke through in stoppage time, but Verbruggen’s superb save denied the striker and capped a resilient performance from the visitors.