20-Goal Haaland Can’t Prevent City Dropping Points

Erling Haaland reached the 20-goal mark in the Premier League this season, but his penalty wasn’t enough to prevent Manchester City from dropping two points in a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. The champions have now failed to win three consecutive league matches and trail Arsenal by five points.
The Norwegian striker converted from the spot four minutes before halftime after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the Brighton penalty area. VAR confirmed the referee’s decision, and Haaland made no mistake, scoring his 150th goal for Manchester City and ending a three-game barren spell.
City almost extended their lead early in the second half when Bernardo Silva capitalized on a Brighton error, but his shot struck the woodwork. The match became heated when City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper engaged in a confrontation, with both players receiving yellow cards from the referee.
Brighton drew level in the 60th minute through a well-executed finish from Kaoru Mitoma. The Japanese winger collected a pass from the flank, composed himself at the edge of the box, and guided a low shot into the far corner with precision.
After equalizing, Brighton took control of the match, dictating the pace and creating several opportunities to claim victory. Mitoma nearly completed the turnaround when he set up Gomez inside the penalty area, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s follow-up attempt from a narrow angle struck the post. City had one final chance to secure all three points when Haaland broke through in stoppage time, but Verbruggen produced a superb save to deny him and ensure Brighton left with a hard-earned point.