Manchester City vs Brighton Review
Brighton managed to come back twice to secure an impressive 2-2 draw against Manchester City, who are also vying for a top-four position in the Premier League. Both teams entered the match in an unexpected competition for a top-four finish. Brighton started strong and had a goal within the first seven minutes when Kaoru Mitoma scored from a cross by Jack Hinshelwood, but it was disallowed due to a handball by Mitoma.
Despite their strong beginning, Brighton fell behind in the 11th minute when Omar Marmoush was fouled in the penalty area, allowing Erling Haaland to convert the penalty. This goal made Haaland the first player in Premier League history to achieve 100 goal involvements before reaching 100 games, accomplishing this feat in just 94 matches with 84 goals and 16 assists.
Fabian Hürzeler’s team remained resilient after going behind, with Pervis Estupiñán equalizing midway through the first half with a stunning curling free-kick that hit the post, marking his first Premier League goal since December 2023. City quickly regained their momentum, but Haaland missed a chance for a second goal, sending a shot over the bar after being set up by İlkay Gündoğan. Marmoush demonstrated his scoring responsibilities by scoring a precise shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards out less than 10 minutes before halftime to put City ahead.
The attacking intensity continued after the break, with several opportunities leading to Brighton equalizing once more. Just three minutes into the second half, City failed to clear a corner, resulting in Hinshelwood’s shot deflecting off Abdukodir Khusanov for an own goal. The away team nearly took the lead shortly after, but Diego Gómez’s cross to the back post was missed by Yankuba Minteh, who needed only a slight touch to score. The match was a thrilling back-and-forth, with Marmoush coming close to scoring again, but Bart Verbruggen made an excellent save to keep the Egyptian from finding the net inside the box.
City continued to search for a third goal in the match, but the hosts were thwarted late on when Nico González’s header hit the post from Gündoğan’s corner. Brighton posed a threat on the counterattack, and a swift break could have given them the lead, but Carlos Baleba missed the target with a shot at the back post. Ultimately, neither team managed to score a third goal, which leaves Pep Guardiola’s squad one point behind the top four. While Brighton’s streak of six consecutive wins came to an end, they remain competitive in the race for European qualification.
