Erling Haaland’s achievement of reaching 150 goals for Manchester City was overshadowed by the champions dropping two crucial points in a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. The result represents City’s third consecutive Premier League match without a win and leaves them five points behind Arsenal.
The Norwegian striker reached his milestone from the penalty spot four minutes before halftime, converting after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the Brighton box. VAR confirmed the decision, and Haaland made no mistake from 12 yards. The goal also ended his three-match scoring drought and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
City nearly extended their lead early in the second half when Bernardo Silva capitalized on a Brighton defensive error, but his shot struck the woodwork. The match became heated when a confrontation erupted between City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, resulting in yellow cards for both players.
Brighton equalized in the 60th minute through a well-crafted goal from Kaoru Mitoma. The Japanese winger collected a pass from the flank, positioned himself at the edge of the penalty area, and curled a low shot into the far corner with excellent technique.
The visitors took control after scoring, slowing the game’s pace and building attacks carefully. They nearly snatched victory when Mitoma’s excellent work created a chance for Gomez inside the penalty area, but the midfielder’s effort was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s attempt to convert the rebound from near the goal line struck the post. City had one final opportunity to claim all three points when Haaland found himself one-on-one with Verbruggen in injury time, but the Brighton goalkeeper’s superb save ensured the points were shared.