Brighton & Hove Albion secured a creditable 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Wednesday, with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen playing a crucial role in denying the champions all three points. The result means City have now failed to win their last three Premier League matches and sit five points behind Arsenal.
Manchester City took the lead four minutes before halftime through an Erling Haaland penalty. The Norwegian was given the opportunity from 12 yards after Jeremy Doku was fouled in the box by Diego Gomez, with VAR confirming the referee’s decision. The goal ended Haaland’s three-match scoring drought and took his tally to 150 goals for City and 20 in the Premier League this season.
The home side almost extended their advantage early in the second half when Bernardo Silva pounced on a Brighton error, but his shot struck the post. The match became increasingly physical, with City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaging in a confrontation that resulted in yellow cards for both.
Brighton’s equalizer came in the 60th minute and was a goal of high quality from Kaoru Mitoma. The Japanese international collected a pass from wide, composed himself at the edge of the box, and curled a precise low shot into the far corner, giving Donnarumma no chance.
The visitors took control after scoring, slowing the game’s pace and building attacks methodically. Mitoma nearly turned from scorer to provider when he found Gomez inside the box, but the midfielder’s finish was blocked by Donnarumma, and Mitoma’s rebound attempt hit the post. The decisive moment came in stoppage time when Haaland broke through one-on-one with Verbruggen, but the Dutch goalkeeper produced an outstanding save to deny the striker and secure a valuable point for Brighton.