Erling Haaland ended his three-match goal drought with a penalty against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for Manchester City in a 1-1 draw. The result represents the champions’ third consecutive Premier League match without a win and leaves them five points behind Arsenal.
Haaland’s goal came four minutes before halftime from the penalty spot after Jeremy Doku was fouled by Diego Gomez inside the box. VAR reviewed and upheld the referee’s decision, allowing the Norwegian to convert and score his 150th goal for Manchester City. The strike also took him to 20 Premier League goals for the current season.
City appeared poised to secure all three points when Bernardo Silva intercepted a Brighton error early in the second half, but his shot rebounded off the post. The match’s intensity increased when a confrontation erupted between City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, resulting in yellow cards for both players.
Brighton equalized on the hour mark through Kaoru Mitoma, who produced a moment of quality. The Japanese international received a pass from the flank, positioned himself at the edge of the penalty area, and curled a precise low shot into the far corner, beating Donnarumma with excellent technique.
The visitors seized the initiative after scoring, controlling the game’s tempo and creating several chances to claim all three points. Mitoma was at the heart of Brighton’s best opportunity, finding Gomez inside the box, but the midfielder’s effort was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s rebound attempt from near the byline struck the post. In the final moments, Haaland had a golden opportunity to win the match when he broke clear of the Brighton defense, but Verbruggen’s outstanding save denied the striker and secured a point for Brighton.