Haaland scores 150th goal as Man City drop points again

Erling Haaland returned to scoring form with his 150th Manchester City goal, but his side’s Premier League title challenge is faltering, with Brighton holding them to a third consecutive draw.

Pep Guardiola’s men have endured a disappointing start to the year, with poor results and injuries to key players handing the initiative to Arsenal, who could go eight points clear at the top if they beat Liverpool on Thursday.

Brighton looked to capitalise on City’s makeshift backline. Pascal Gross found space to thump a header at goal, which was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the German keeper could not convert the follow-up.

Georginio Rutter then released Ferdi Kadioglu with a pass from the halfway line, but the Turkey international shot straight at the towering Italian goalkeeper Donnarumma.

The Seagulls were exploiting gaps in the opposition defence. Rutter ran clear himself to bear down on goal but was denied by Abdukodir Khusanov’s brilliant last-ditch challenge.

Brighton failed to convert most of their chances and paid for it as City took a 41st-minute lead.

Star man Haaland converted a penalty, scoring the Premier League’s 35,000th goal since its 1992 inception, after Jeremy Doku was brought down in the box by Diego Gomez. The referee only awarded the spot-kick after reviewing it on the pitchside monitor.

Captain Bernardo Silva clipped the post in the second half as City looked to extend their lead, but Fabian Hurzeler’s men hit back through Kaoru Mitoma’s brilliant finish from the edge of the area.

Gomez surprisingly missed when picked out by Mitoma a couple of yards from goal, and both sides had to settle for a point.