Man City draws for the third consecutive match

Manchester City continued their unforgettable days when they were held to a draw by Brighton right at Etihad, thereby causing Pep Guardiola to experience 3 consecutive draws for the first time in his coaching career.

This result makes Man City miss the opportunity to narrow the gap with Arsenal in the championship race. If the "Gunners" defeat Liverpool, they will widen the gap to 8 points compared to Guardiola's army.

After a regrettable stumble against Chelsea - a match where Man City dropped the victory in injury time and lost two key defenders Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol due to injury - the Etihad home team entered the reception of Brighton with many upheavals.

The instability in the defense was revealed early, when Pascal Gross and Ferdi Kadioglu successively forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to show off his save skills in the opening minutes of the match.

The Citizens gradually regained control thanks to their familiar ball control ability, but the rising defense system with many young faces continued to reveal gaps. However, a different moment came right before the break.

Jeremy Doku rushed into the penalty area, forcing Diego Gomez to foul, creating conditions for Erling Haaland to successfully execute a penalty, thereby ending the 4-match consecutive goalless streak.

Stepping into the second half, the game no longer belonged to the home team. Brighton played more confidently and cohesively, and the equalizer came as an inevitable consequence. Kaoru Mitoma handled delicately on the left wing before launching a dangerous shot into the far corner, defeating Donnarumma. The away team almost took the lead if Gomez had taken advantage of the golden opportunity afterwards.

The final minutes witnessed Man City pouring all their strength into attack, but neither Haaland nor Rayan Cherki could take advantage of the opportunity. This is the first time since March 2025 that the Etihad home team has dropped points at home in 2 consecutive matches despite taking the lead.

On Brighton's side, this draw is of historical significance as they are unbeaten against Man City for two consecutive seasons.