Manchester City's Premier League title defence suffered another setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton, with Kaoru Mitoma scoring the equaliser. The result leaves City five points behind leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand, after a third consecutive draw.
Erling Haaland gave City the lead from the penalty spot in the first half, his 150th goal for the club. However, City failed to capitalise on numerous second-half chances, with Bernardo Silva hitting the post and Haaland missing a late opportunity. Pep Guardiola lamented his side's profligacy, saying: 'We didn't score goals. So many clear chances [missed], and it's not just one player, two players, it's all the people up front.'
Brighton grew into the game after the break, and Mitoma levelled in the 78th minute, cutting inside from the left and firing into the far corner. Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler praised the winger, stating: 'We all know that he can make the difference in the game. He's still not at 100%, but we need to push him to 100%.'
City had a makeshift defence due to injuries to Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, with debutant Max Alleyne and Abdukodir Khusanov impressing. Guardiola also confirmed that Antoine Semenyo will join City by the end of the week, providing a boost as Savinho is ruled out for up to two months.
