Manchester City failed to allay worries of losing out on next season's Champions League after squandering the lead twice to draw 2-2 at Brighton. Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush gave City the lead, but a free kick from Pervis Estupinan and an own goal from Abdukodir Khusanov gave high-flying Brighton the opportunity to extend their winning streak to seven games. After a challenging season for a team accustomed to winning the league title, City manager Pep Guardiola stated on Friday that simply making it to the Champions League would be a "big success."
After being brought back to the starting lineup, Marmoush emerged as City's most promising player moving ahead. Haaland's 29th goal of the season opened the scoring after the Egyptian won the penalty. With one more point, City is only one point above Brighton in seventh place, still in fifth place.