Manchester City’s once-impenetrable home record continued to show cracks on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. The result marks the champions’ third consecutive Premier League match without a win and leaves them five points adrift of Arsenal.
Erling Haaland gave City the lead from the penalty spot four minutes before halftime after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the Brighton box. VAR confirmed the decision, and Haaland converted to score his 150th goal for Manchester City. The strike also ended his three-match goal drought and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
City nearly doubled their advantage early in the second half when Bernardo Silva capitalized on a Brighton defensive error, but his shot rebounded off the post. Tensions flared when City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper became involved in a confrontation, resulting in yellow cards for both players.
Brighton drew level in the 60th minute through a well-crafted goal from Kaoru Mitoma. The Japanese winger collected a pass from the flank, positioned himself at the edge of the penalty area, and guided a low shot into the far corner with excellent technique.
The visitors took control after equalizing, slowing the game’s rhythm and building attacks carefully. They came desperately close to taking the lead when Mitoma’s creative play found Gomez inside the penalty area, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s follow-up attempt from near the byline struck the post. City had one final chance to claim all three points when Haaland broke clear in injury time, but Verbruggen’s outstanding save denied the Norwegian and secured a point for Brighton.