Brighton & Hove Albion produced an impressive second-half performance to claim a 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Wednesday evening at the Etihad Stadium. The result continues City’s disappointing recent form, with three consecutive league draws leaving them five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Manchester City took the lead four minutes before the interval when Erling Haaland converted a penalty after Jeremy Doku was fouled by Diego Gomez. Following a VAR review that confirmed the decision, Haaland confidently dispatched the spot-kick to score his 150th goal for the club and his 20th in the Premier League this season, ending a three-match scoring drought.
The second half began with City pushing for a second goal, and Bernardo Silva came close when his shot following a Brighton error struck the post. The match became contentious when goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Maxim De Cuyper were involved in an altercation, resulting in both players receiving yellow cards.
Brighton equalised on the hour mark through Kaoru Mitoma, who displayed composure and quality to guide a low shot into the bottom corner from just outside the box. The goal energised the visitors, who subsequently took control of the match and began to create numerous opportunities as City struggled to cope with their intensity.
The visitors came within inches of securing all three points when Mitoma’s angled effort from near the byline rattled the post following a goal-mouth scramble. In the final moments, Haaland had a golden opportunity to secure victory for City, finding himself alone in the box with only Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to beat, but the Dutch shot-stopper produced a crucial save to deny him and preserve the draw.