City stumble again in title race as Villa held

In a dramatic twist for the Premier League title race, Manchester City failed to capitalize on their opportunity to close the gap with league leaders Arsenal, settling for a 1-1 draw against Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. The stalemate marks City’s third consecutive draw, raising questions about their consistency in the championship pursuit.

Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland etched his name in the record books by netting his 150th goal for the club from a penalty spot, achieving this milestone in just 173 appearances—28 games faster than any previous Premier League player. Despite Haaland’s historic achievement, Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma delivered a superb equalizer in the 60th minute, curling a precise shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

The result leaves Manchester City stranded at 43 points, five points behind Arsenal, who now have the chance to extend their lead to eight points with a victory against Liverpool on Thursday. In a parallel development, Aston Villa also remained at 43 points after being held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Elsewhere in the league, Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage in front of newly appointed manager Liam Rosenior, who watched from the stands. The Blues were reduced to ten men after Marc Cucurella received a straight red card for a professional foul on Harry Wilson. Raul Jimenez and Wilson scored for Fulham, with Liam Delap managing a consolation goal for Chelsea.

In other matches, Bournemouth secured a 3-2 victory over struggling Tottenham, with Antoine Semenyo scoring what is likely his final goal for the club before an anticipated transfer to Manchester City. Brentford dominated Sunderland 3-0 with Igor Thiago scoring twice, while Everton held bottom-placed Wolves to a 1-1 draw despite finishing with nine men.

Manchester United, under interim manager Darren Fletcher following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal, faced Burnley in a late fixture. Meanwhile, Newcastle United fans paid emotional tribute to former manager Kevin Keegan after his family announced his cancer diagnosis, displaying supportive messages on the stadium screens at St James’ Park.