Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City missed a golden opportunity to close the gap on Arsenal, playing out a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
Despite controlling the early stages, City struggled to break down a resilient Seagulls defense until Erling Haaland converted a clinical penalty.
The champions looked set to secure all three points, but Kaoru Mitoma’s low drive past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the second half stunned the home crowd.
Bernardo Silva came close to a winner late on, hitting the frame of the goal, but Brighton held firm to secure a well-deserved point.
The result means City are now five points behind league leaders Arsenal, having played the same number of games.
With a mounting injury list and a lackluster offensive display, Guardiola faces significant pressure to find solutions before the gap at the top becomes insurmountable during the January schedule.