Manchester City could not beat Brighton
Manchester City frustrations boiled over as they dropped points for the third time in seven days. Pep Guardiola's side, missing nine first-team players through injury and unavailability, got themselves in front in a bad-tempered game when Erling Haaland slotted home a first-half penalty.
Bernardo Silva missed a golden chance to add to their lead though and Brighton made them pay as Kaoru Mitoma arrowed home an equaliser. Haaland had a header cleared off the line and a shot from close range saved in a frantic finale but City did not have enough to go back in front.
Guardiola had to be dragged into shaking Fabian Hurzeler's hand at full-time but away from the squabbling City have more to worry about. Five points behind Arsenal having played a game more, City have lost all momentum and are fighting to stay in the title race. Here are the player ratings from the _Manchester Evening News._
**Donnarumma:** A few scary moments but also some decent saves when he was left exposed by the defence. **6**
**Nunes:** Ran out of steam in the second half and it was nearly a costly error for the ball to drop over his head and into Mitoma's path. **6**
**Khusanov:** His slide tackles are about as telegraphed as Nicolas Otamendi's but his pace was useful to keep Brighton quiet. **7**
**Alleyne:** Looked confident on debut with his new teammates and comfortable bringing the ball up the pitch. **7**
**Ake:** Brighton looked to beat him in a foot race and did on occasion, although he wasn't troubled too much. **6**
**Gonzalez:** Back in the team after his injury at Sunderland but he did not look fresh and Rodri was ready to replace him for a long time before he actually did. **6**
**Silva:** A glaring miss just after half-time that would have made the game comfortable for City, and didn't produce enough in attack. **6**
**Foden:** Looked like a man in need of a rest, struggling to get his legs to carry out what his brain wanted them to do. **5**
**Reijnders:** Didn't influence the game enough, unable to keep or carry the ball for any length of time. **5**
**Doku:** City's freshest attacker. He probably should have done more with the ball he had but he did win the penalty. **7**
**Haaland:** Scored the penalty and did well in his physical battles but he should have scored when teed up late on. **6**
**Rodri (for Haaland, 64)** Couldn't drive the game like he wanted to. **6**
**Cherki (for Foden, 73)** Came on and instantly made an impact. **7**
**O'Reilly (for Ake, 73)** Kept City solid at the back. **6**
**Lewis (for Nunes, 73)** Some decent balls forward. **6**
**Not used:** Trafford, Mfuni, R.Heskey, McAidoo, Mukasa