Manchester City’s Premier League title ambitions suffered a significant setback on Wednesday night after Brighton fought back to secure a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
City took the lead in the first half through Erling Haaland, who converted a penalty to register his 150th goal for the club. However, the landmark strike proved insufficient as Brighton responded strongly after the break.
With Pep Guardiola’s side struggling amid mounting injury problems, Kaoru Mitoma capitalised in the second half, firing home a fine equaliser to silence the home crowd.
The draw leaves City second on the table, five points behind leaders Arsenal, who still have a game in hand against Liverpool. A win for the Gunners would extend their advantage to eight points, further complicating City’s title defence.
City’s recent form has been worrying, with the champions now three games without a win, following draws against Sunderland, Chelsea, and Brighton. In contrast, Arsenal are riding a three-match winning streak.
Despite Haaland ending his three-game goal drought with his 26th goal of the season in all competitions, City looked uncharacteristically sloppy. The Norwegian striker also missed several chances, while Bernardo Silva struck the post early in the second half.
Guardiola was forced to field a makeshift defence due to injuries to Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, and John Stones, handing a debut to 20-year-old centre-back Max Alleyne. Brighton threatened repeatedly, testing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made key saves but could do little to stop Mitoma’s equaliser.
City failed to regain control after conceding, with Brighton even coming close to snatching a winner late on. At the other end, City wasted multiple opportunities, including missed chances by Haaland and Rayan Cherki in the closing stages.
With injuries mounting and reinforcements yet to arrive, City now face an uphill battle to keep pace in the title race as Arsenal tighten their grip at the top.
