Brighton & Hove Albion demonstrated tremendous character to fight back and earn a 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Wednesday. The result extends the champions’ winless run to three Premier League matches and leaves them five points behind Arsenal.
City opened the scoring four minutes before halftime when Erling Haaland converted a penalty awarded after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the box. VAR confirmed the decision, and Haaland made no mistake from 12 yards. The goal was his 150th for Manchester City, ended his three-match goal drought, and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
The second half saw City seek to extend their advantage. Bernardo Silva had an excellent opportunity when he capitalized on a Brighton error, but his shot struck the post. The match’s intensity increased when a confrontation erupted between City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, with both players receiving yellow cards.
Brighton’s equalizer came in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who produced a moment of quality. The Japanese international received a pass from the flank, composed himself at the edge of the penalty area, and curled a precise low shot into the far corner.
The visitors grew in confidence after scoring, taking command of possession and the game’s tempo. They came desperately close to completing the comeback when Mitoma’s excellent work created a chance for 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 woodwork. City had one final opportunity to claim victory when Haaland broke through in stoppage time, but Verbruggen’s outstanding save denied the Norwegian and secured a point that Brighton’s character fully deserved.
