Spending Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw with Brighton, dropping points for the third straight game.
In a game full of chances, both teams could only score one opening goal, as Erling Haaland reached 150 goals in all competitions and Kaoru Mitoma tied the score with his second goal of the season.
Haaland’s latest milestone was his goal from the penalty spot after Jeremy Doku was brought down by Diego Gomez in the first half, ending a three-game mini-goal drought. VAR intervention sent on-field referee Thomas Bramall to the pitchside monitor and a belated spot-kick was awarded.
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Erling Haaland gives Manchester City the lead against Brighton from the penalty spot
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Kaoru Mitoma scores the equalizing goal for Brighton!
The opener came after Brighton squandered a hat-trick chance to take the lead, suitably testing City’s makeshift backline, including 20-year-old debutant Max Alleyne, recalled from his loan spell at Watford three days earlier. But soon after the restart, City were often vulnerable, with Mitoma firing a shot between the legs of Nico Gonzalez.
Both could have won. The city should do that. Substitute Rayan Cherki teed up Haaland for the easiest chance of the game, but Haaland was unable to convert it and his header was cleared on the line by Ferdi Kadioglu. Just before that, Mitoma ran the ball into the post without letting it fit inside the post.
According to Opta, City created four big chances with an xG value of 2.38 and finished the game missing three of them. Out of 22 attempts on goal, only 6 were able to reach the target. Arsenal have a chance to increase their lead at the top of the table to eight points with a home game against Liverpool on Thursday, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
“Punch in the ribs”
Gary Neville from Sky Sports:
“It feels like a big week, Manchester City drew at home to Brighton and it feels like another punch in the ribs.
“Arsenal will go to bed tonight to prepare for a big game against Liverpool tomorrow. We are very confident of where we are now.”
Pep says he has a problem with missed opportunities
Man City manager Josep Guardiola:
“I really liked how we played, we had a lot of new players and a lot of good things, but we just couldn’t score goals.
“There were too many clear chances and it wasn’t just one, two or three players, it was all the players up front and we created a lot of chances.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t score. Scoring goals is part of the job. We played very well. We did some very good things. The team was incredibly committed and we all defended really well.”
“But we created a lot of chances inside the six-yard box, but we couldn’t score. Not just today, not just one player, it’s all of us!”
Hürzeler: “I made too many mistakes”, happy with draw
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler:
“We started the game well. We created three big chances and should have scored. The penalty came out of nowhere and changed the dynamic. There were ups and downs all around. I’m happy with the chances we created, but not happy with the chances we gave away.”
“We made too many mistakes to win the game, so we have to be satisfied with a draw.”
Regarding tensions on the touchline, he said: “It’s always emotional when it’s a close game. Everyone shares their opinion. That’s football. I have a lot of respect for the Manchester City staff. Emotions are part of football. Everything is fine.”
As for the fight between Van Hecke and Haaland: “I love it. It’s part of the game of football. It’s always a close battle between these two. They’re both good players. Then we shake hands and we move on.”
