Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge suffered another setback as Pep Guardiola’s side were held to a 1–1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium, marking the third time in Guardiola’s managerial career that his team have recorded three consecutive draws.
The result denied Brighton a historic first victory at the Etihad, but it also extended City’s recent frustrations following a damaging draw with Chelsea, in which they conceded late and lost key defenders Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol to injury.
Still feeling the effects of that disappointment, City were almost caught out inside the opening two minutes when Pascal Groß found space beyond debutant Max Alleyne to meet Diego Gómez’s delivery. However, Gianluigi Donnarumma reacted sharply to keep out the German’s close-range header.
While City soon settled into their usual dominance of possession, they remained vulnerable on the break. Ferdi Kadıoğlu threatened once more on the counter, forcing Donnarumma into another important intervention.
Guardiola’s youthful and high defensive line continued to be tested, with Georginio Rutter sent through on goal shortly afterwards, only for Abdukodir Khusanov to recover superbly and snuff out the danger at the crucial moment.
That intervention appeared to spark City into life, and Brighton were made to pay for their missed chances just before the interval. Jeremy Doku surged into the penalty area and was clipped by Gómez, prompting a spot-kick that Erling Haaland calmly converted to end a four-game scoring drought.
Aside from Bernardo Silva striking the post, City failed to impose themselves after the restart, and Brighton’s persistence was eventually rewarded. Kaoru Mitoma collected Yasin Ayari’s pass on the edge of the box, cut inside, and guided a precise finish into the far corner to draw the visitors level.
The Japanese winger nearly turned provider moments later when his cross found Gómez in front of goal, but the chance went begging. The closing stages, however, belonged largely to City.
Kadıoğlu produced a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Haaland, while City’s striker later wasted a rare defensive error by placing his shot too close to Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Rayan Cherki also went close as City pressed desperately for a winner, but Brighton held firm.
City have now dropped points from winning positions in back-to-back home matches for the first time since March 2025, and their slow start to 2026 could see Arsenal extend their lead at the top to eight points by the end of matchday 21.
For Brighton, the draw marked only their fourth point from 16 visits to the Etihad, and a historic milestone as they avoided defeat against City in successive seasons for the first time
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