Five-Point Gap Opens as City Fail to Capitalize Against Brighton

The gap at the top of the Premier League widened to five points on Wednesday as Manchester City failed to capitalize on their opportunities in a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. The result represents City’s third consecutive league draw and leaves them trailing leaders Arsenal, who have 48 points ahead of their crucial encounter with Liverpool.
Manchester City opened the scoring four minutes before halftime through Erling Haaland, who converted a penalty after Jeremy Doku was fouled by Diego Gomez. Following a VAR review that upheld the referee’s decision, Haaland stepped up to score his 150th goal for the club and his 20th in the Premier League this season, ending a three-match scoring drought.
The second half saw City push for a crucial second goal, with Bernardo Silva striking the post after capitalising on a Brighton error. The match became fractious 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 received a pass from the flank and expertly guided a low shot into the far corner from the edge of the box. The goal shifted the momentum entirely in Brighton’s favour, as they began to control possession and create dangerous opportunities.
The visitors dominated the closing stages and came within inches of securing all three points when Mitoma’s effort from a tight angle struck the post. In the final moments, Haaland had a golden opportunity to win the match for City, but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen produced a superb save to deny him, leaving City facing a significant deficit in their pursuit of Arsenal.