Haaland hits 150th City goal as Brighton frustrate champions again

Erling Haaland ended his goal drought by scoring his 150th goal for Manchester City, but it did little to revive their faltering Premier League title bid as Brighton held them to a third straight draw.

City’s sluggish start to the year continued, with a combination of disappointing results and injuries to key players allowing Arsenal to seize control of the race. The Gunners could move eight points clear at the summit with a win over Liverpool on Thursday.

Brighton sought to take advantage of City’s patched-up defence and came close early on when Pascal Gross found space to power a header toward goal, only for Gianluigi Donnarumma to produce a sharp save before the German failed to score from the rebound.

Georginio Rutter later sent Ferdi Kadioglu through with a pass from the halfway line, but the Turkish defender was unable to beat Donnarumma, firing straight at the imposing goalkeeper. Brighton continued to find openings, with Rutter himself breaking clear before being denied by a superb last-ditch tackle from Abdukodir Khusanov.

The Seagulls’ missed opportunities proved costly, as City went ahead in the 41st minute. Haaland calmly dispatched a penalty after Jeremy Doku was fouled in the area by Diego Gomez, with the decision awarded following a pitchside review. The strike also marked the Premier League’s 35,000th goal since its launch in 1992.

Bernardo Silva came close to extending the lead after the break, clipping the post as City pressed on. However, Brighton responded when Kaoru Mitoma produced a fine finish from the edge of the box to draw his side level.

Gomez then squandered a golden chance when set up by Mitoma just yards from goal, and with neither side able to find a winner, the contest ended in a draw.