Manchester City 1-1 Brighton: Pep Guardiola’s side lose ground in title race after stalemate at the Etihad
After a game overflowing with chances that neither of them managed to take, Manchester City and Brighton will only have themselves to blame if at the end of the season they fail to achieve their targets.
For City, to pip Arsenal to the title, although the chances are looking slimmer than ever. After their six-game winning run, Pep Guardiola’s side have now had three consecutive draws, leaving them five points behind the Gunners. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s team are able to go eight points clear this week if they can defeat Liverpool at the Emirates.
For Brighton, a spot in European competition next season. They narrowly missed out last term after their eighth-place finish, and with the Premier League’s middle class as tenuous as ever, this campaign could be a real opportunity for the south-coast club. But after drawing level from a goal down after Erling Haaland’s first-half penalty had given City the lead, Brighton were profligate at the Etihad, and so were City, chance after chance begging to be put away in almost ridiculous fashion.
Diego Gomez was too quick and ran ahead of Kaoru Mitoma’s square pass, scuffing a tap-in with his heel as the empty goal gaped, Gianluigi Donnarumma in no-man’s land. Then the ball had rolled to an angle too acute and Mitoma, on the floor, was unable to poke it round the post and across the goal line.
At the other end, Haaland’s body language was too revealing, such that Bart Verbruggen actually moved ahead of him, almost awaiting the shot at its destination when Haaland, from 10 yards out, could have had his pick of any spot in goal and scored. Jeremy Doku’s effort was directed too wide. Rayan Cherki failed to convert from inside the penalty area. Before that, Bernardo Silva had somehow contrived to hit the post right in front of the six-yard box, after Yasin Ayari had given the ball away with the goalkeeper caught out.
The first half, in contrast, had been a cagey, nearly uneventful thing. City had 60 per cent possession but struggled to create chances, a problem that may need looking into for Guardiola. Perhaps the signing of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo this month might offer additional thrust up front. The home side had a chance when Brighton’s Gomez played a wayward pass in front of his own box and it found Doku, but the Belgian flashed a shot across goal. Tijjani Reijnders’ attempt was blocked on the goal line after Nathan Ake’s cut back from the byline.
Tellingly, City’s opener was handed to them by Brighton, the hapless Gomez sticking a leg out to block Doku’s path in the box and the Belgian milking it as much as he could. Haaland ended his four-game scoring drought from the spot but Brighton came back renewed in the second half. Mitoma was allowed time and space to cut in from the left on the hour mark and slot into the bottom right corner in trademark fashion, setting up a thrilling, open end to the game; but neither side could make their opportunities count.
