Manchester City vs Brighton Report
Scorers: Haaland 11’ (P), Marmoush 39’; Estupinan 21’, Khusanov (OG) 48’
Brighton & Hove Albion twice came from behind to earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, extending City’s unbeaten home record against the Seagulls to 15 Premier League matches (W12, D3).
The result keeps both sides in the race for a top-four finish, with City’s inconsistency continuing as they fall one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea, having played a game more.
Fast Start Sees Both Teams Trade Blows
Despite Manchester City’s dominant record in this fixture, Brighton started brightly and thought they had taken the lead inside seven minutes.
Kaoru Mitoma bundled the ball home from Jack Hinshelwood’s cross, but the goal was disallowed after the Japanese winger was adjudged to have handled it.
Brighton’s positive start was undone just minutes later when Omar Marmoush was brought down in the box, gifting City an early penalty.
Erling Haaland made no mistake from the spot, drilling his effort past Bart Verbruggen to become the first-ever player in PL history to reach 100 goal involvements before playing 100 matches, achieving the feat in just 94 appearances (84 goals, 16 assists).
Brighton Respond as City Regain the Lead
Undeterred by falling behind, Fabian Hürzeler’s men responded midway through the first half with a moment of brilliance from Pervis Estupiñán.
The Ecuadorian stepped up and curled a stunning free-kick off the post and into the net, marking his first league goal since December 2023.
City, however, wasted no time regaining their advantage. Haaland nearly bagged a second after being teed up by İlkay Gündoğan, but the Norwegian blazed his effort over the bar.
With City searching for a new attacking focal point alongside Haaland, Marmoush stepped up once again, firing a pinpoint strike into the bottom corner from 25 yards out just before half-time to restore the hosts’ lead.
Brighton Hit Back Again as Both Sides Push for a Winner
The second half began in similar fashion, with Brighton quickly finding another equaliser. Just three minutes after the restart, City failed to clear a corner, and Hinshelwood’s shot deflected off Abdukodir Khusanov for an own goal.
Brighton had a golden opportunity to take the lead minutes later when Diego Gómez’s cross found Yankuba Minteh at the back post, but the forward somehow failed to make contact with the ball from close range.
The frantic nature of the contest continued, with Marmoush nearly scoring his second of the afternoon, only for Verbruggen to produce a brilliant save to deny the Egyptian from inside the box.
Late Drama as Both Teams Fail to Find a Winner
City pushed for a third goal and came agonisingly close in the final stages when Nico González’s header clipped the post from a Gündoğan corner.
Brighton, however, remained a danger on the counter-attack and could have stolen all three points when Carlos Baleba found himself unmarked at the back post, only to sky his effort over the bar.
Ultimately, neither side managed to find the elusive winning goal, leaving City frustrated as their inconsistencies continue.
The result sees Guardiola’s men drop to fifth, one point behind Chelsea, having played an extra match. Meanwhile, Brighton’s six-game winning streak ends, but they remain firmly in the hunt for European football.
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Man City v Brighton, 2024/25 | Premier League