Manchester City’s defensive vulnerabilities were exposed once again on Wednesday as they conceded a second-half equaliser to Brighton & Hove Albion in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium. The result represents City’s third consecutive league draw and sees them fall five points behind Arsenal, who lead the Premier League with 48 points.
Erling Haaland gave City the lead from the penalty spot four minutes before halftime, after Jeremy Doku was brought down by Diego Gomez inside the area. The decision was confirmed by VAR, and Haaland confidently converted to score his 150th goal for Manchester City and his 20th in the Premier League this season, ending a three-match goal 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 heated when goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Maxim De Cuyper were involved in an altercation, resulting in both players receiving yellow cards.
Brighton equalised in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who demonstrated composure and skill to guide a low shot into the bottom corner from just outside the box. The goal highlighted City’s defensive issues, as Brighton were given too much space to operate on the edge of the penalty area.
After equalising, Brighton seized control and nearly claimed all three points when Mitoma’s angled shot from near the byline struck the post. In the closing stages, Haaland had a clear opportunity to win the match for City, finding himself one-on-one with Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, but the Dutch shot-stopper produced a crucial save to deny him and preserve the draw.