A heated confrontation between goalkeepers highlighted Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, a result that extends the champions’ winless run to three Premier League matches. City now sit five points behind leaders Arsenal.
The opening goal came from the penalty spot four minutes before halftime when Erling Haaland converted after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the Brighton box. VAR reviewed and confirmed the referee’s decision, allowing Haaland to score his 150th goal for Manchester City. The strike also ended the Norwegian’s three-game barren spell and brought his Premier League total for the season to 20.
City nearly extended their lead early in the second half when Bernardo Silva intercepted a Brighton error, but his shot struck the post. The match became heated when City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaged in a confrontation that required the referee’s intervention, with both players shown yellow cards.
Brighton drew level in the 60th minute through a well-taken goal from Kaoru Mitoma. The Japanese winger received a pass from wide, composed himself at the edge of the penalty area, and curled a low shot into the far corner with excellent technique.
After equalizing, Brighton took control of the match, dictating the tempo and creating several chances to claim all three points. Mitoma was instrumental in their best opportunity, finding Gomez inside the box, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s follow-up attempt from a tight angle hit the post. In the closing stages, Haaland had a golden opportunity to win the match when he found himself one-on-one with Verbruggen, but the Brighton goalkeeper produced a fine save to preserve the draw.