Manchester City’s hopes of closing in on Premier League leaders Arsenal suffered another setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Erling Haaland put City ahead in the 41st minute from the penalty spot, marking his 150th goal for the club in just 173 appearances. The penalty came after VAR reviewed an incident in which Brighton’s Diego Gomez tripped Jeremy Doku.
Brighton responded on the hour mark through Kaoru Mitoma, who fired a precise shot into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the box to level the score. City pressed for a winner in the closing stages, but both Haaland and substitute Rayan Cherki failed to convert chances.
The draw extends City’s winless run in the league to three matches since the start of 2026. They could fall eight points behind Arsenal if the Gunners beat Liverpool on Thursday, while Brighton remain five points outside the top four.
City’s defensive struggles were evident as injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias have left Pep Guardiola without key centre-backs, forcing 20-year-old Max Alleyne into action on his debut. Nathan Ake and Nico Gonzalez also struggled to contain Brighton’s attack, particularly during Mitoma’s equaliser.
Brighton showed determination throughout, capitalising on City’s mistakes and maintaining pressure after falling behind. Gomez had a chance to give the Seagulls the lead ten minutes after the equaliser but miskicked from close range. The draw marked James Milner’s milestone as one of only five outfield players to feature in the Premier League aged 40 or over.
City now turn their focus to upcoming cup fixtures against Exeter City in the FA Cup and Newcastle United in the EFL Cup before returning to Premier League action against Manchester United on January 17.
Haaland’s goal was the 35,000th in Premier League history and City have now dropped nine points from winning positions this season, including five points lost to Brighton for the second consecutive season. Mitoma became only the second Japanese player to score against City in the league.
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