Albion’s Minteh and Baleba squandered ‘must-score’ chances, as Manchester City and Brighton couldn’t be separated in a thrilling 2-2 draw (Saturday, March 15).

Annabel Bassett, reporting from the Etihad Stadium.

An early opener for the Seagulls was chalked off by VAR, as Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma knocked the ball out of the Manchester City goalkeeper’s hands before bundling it over the line.

Just minutes later Manchester City were awarded a penalty, as an untimely sliding tackle from Adam Webster on Omar Marmoush took the Egyptian’s leg from beneath him.

Erling Haaland coolly converted the penalty to secure his 100th Premier League goal involvement in just 94 matches, making him the fastest player to this feat.

A superb curling free-kick from left-back Pervis Estupiñán put Albion level in the 21st minute.

City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega stood stunned, as he left sufficient space on his right hand side for Estupiñán to aim the effort.

Marmoush stuck the Sky Blues 2-1 in front with six minutes of the half remaining. The Egyptian unleashed his long range shot unchallenged- this time- by Webster.

João Pedro was gifted a chance to level the score just before halftime, as Josko Gvardiol’s misplaced pass rolled into the path of the Brazilian.

However, City’s Abdukodir Khusanov slid in, forcing the in-form forward to snatch at the opportunity and strike his shot wide.

Brighton found their equaliser straight after the break however, as a Webster header from a corner found Jack Hinshelwood.

City centre-back Khusanov found himself in the firing line, deflecting the- otherwise wide- shot from Hinshelwood into the net.

Albion then continued to threaten, with a quick ball floated into Mitoma forcing Ortega into a low and strong save to deny the Japanese from the tight angle.

However, City increased the intensity in the closing stages, with Doku proving to be a handful yet again.

A header from City’s Nico González in the 79th minute was just a whisker away from nestling into the net, with the base of the post denying the hosts a late winner.

Brighton had their own head-in-hands moment, as João Pedro played the ball across to an unmarked Carlos Baleba just yards from goal.

The Cameroonian wildly blazed his effort over the bar, leaving the Etihad in disbelief.

Set pieces offered Manchester City more chances to secure a winner late on, however none could be taken advantage of as the game concluded a thrilling 2-2 draw.

The result means both sides remain in the positions they started the day in: fifth for Manchester City, and seventh for Albion with 48 and 47 points respectively.

These are the Brighton player ratings for their 2-2 draw with Manchester City.

1. Bart Verbruggen- 7 A strong performance from Albion’s goalkeeper. The Dutchman notably denied Marmoush with a powerful parry, as the forward looked to round him.

Verbruggen didn’t have much hope in stopping goals from Haaland or Marmoush, as both were quick and smart strikes.

2. Pervis Estupiñán- 8 The left-back had an impactful performance from set-pieces for the Seagulls. Estupinan equalised for the Albion with a superb curling free-kick, and delivered a corner-kick toward Webster with the ball soon finding the back of the net.

3. Adam Webster- 6 An ill-measured tackle from Albion’s Captain on Marmoush awarded Manchester City a penalty. The centre-back also opted not to close down Marmoush before he scored City’s second, as the defender was left to cover multiple bases.

4. Jan Paul van Hecke- 8 A solid showing from the centre-back. The Dutchman provided a crucial block to discourage Manchester City’s Savinho as the winger looked to unleash a strike, and vitally snuffed out an advancing attack with a block on Gündogan.

5. Jack Hinshelwood- 7 Doku proved a handful for the right-back in the first half, due to his speed and strength.

Hinshelwood’s shot helped Albion to equalise in the second half as his effort ricocheted off of Khusanov. Later, a chance from inside the box was lashed at by the right-back and hit the outer side netting.

6. Carlos Baleba- 7 The defensive midfielder provided some vital clearances as City looked to advance in attack. The Cameroonian’s longstanding energy levels and pace allowed him to arrive, unmarked, in the box. Baleba, however, blazed his shot over the bar.

7. Diego Gómez- 6 A solid performance from the midfielder, who provided a superb ball across the box for Minteh.

The right wing-back catastrophically fluffed his lines to deny Gómez the assist and Brighton a late winner.

8. Yankuba Minteh- 6 More of a quiet afternoon for the wing-back, who was beaten on occasion in the second half by Doku. A must-score opportunity for Minteh went painfully amiss, as he mistimed his slide following a tantalising ball across from Gómez.

9. Georginio Rutter- 6 The forward contributed to Albion’s swift build-up play. However, the only notable input from Rutter was when he had possession pinched under pressure by Gvardiol, leading to City’s second goal from Marmoush.

10. Kaoru Mitoma- 7 On his 100th Albion appearance, the Japanese international demonstrated his pace and threat at times. Mitoma scored an early goal which was then ruled out for a foul. The City goalkeeper, Ortega also denied the winger from a tight angle.

11. João Pedro- 7 A chance to level the score before halftime was snatched at by the forward. In the second half, Pedro produced a lengthy run down the flank and got in the cross toward Baleba. The midfielder skied his effort despite being handed the chance on a plate by Pedro.

12. Brighton substitutes:

Danny Welbeck- 6 Replaced Rutter with the last quarter of the match remaining. Helped to clear the danger following González’s header onto the base of the post.

Yasin Ayari- 6 Replaced Gómez in the 75th minute. Helped out in the midfield, injecting some energy into the side to see out the point.

Brajan Gruda- N/A Replaced Minteh with seven minutes of normal time remaining.

Simon Adingra- N/A Replaced Mitoma with seven minutes remaining.

Mats Wieffer- N/A Replaced Baleba with four minutes of normal time remaining.

These are the Manchester City player ratings for their 2-2 draw with Brighton.

1. Stefan Ortega- 4 Poor judgement from the City goalkeeper for Estupiñán’s free-kick goal, who seemingly assumed the shot was wide. Denied Mitoma well in the second half from a tight angle. Ortega’s distribution often handed possession to the Albion.

2. Joško Gvardiol- 6 The usual signs of defensive frailty were present in the centre-back, however he did well to link play with the forwards.

3. Rúben Dias- 5 The City Captain lacked his typical authority and confidence at the back, not providing any notable defensive contributions.

4. Abdukodir Khusanov- 5 The quiet centre-back became a standout when the ball ricocheted off of the Uzbek and into the net. The unavoidable own goal from the centre-back was another testing moment for the recent City signing.

5. Rico Lewis- 5 The right-back couldn’t contain Mitoma in the early proceedings. While throughout the match, Lewis struggled against Brighton’s swift breaks.

6. Nico González- 6 The midfielder broke up play to start City’s attack which led to the penalty. González’s header was agonisingly close to clinching City the winner, as the woodwork denied him. The “mini-Rodri” struggled to impact the game when in possession however.

7. Ilkay Gündogan- 6 Occupied and splayed possession often in the first half, providing the assist for Marmoush’s long range strike. Had a chance on the half volley but dragged it well wide.

8. Jeremy Doku- 7 Caused problems for the Albion defence in the first half with his strength and speed.

Doku threatened late on in the second half, bursting past Minteh and beating Baleba. However, for all of the Belgian’s intent there was, yet again, no end product.

9. Omar Marmoush- 7 Very lively in the first half, linking up well with Haaland. Won City the penalty, as the forward cut inside and was taken down by Webster. Scored his side’s second goal with a long range strike. Looked to stifle Brighton’s attacks in the second half.

10. Savinho- 5 Involved in City’s link-up play in forward areas, but failed to score when bearing down on goal on multiple occasions. The winger was replaced early in the second half by Silva.

11. Erling Haaland- 6 The Norwegian demonstrated his confidence yet again from the spot, securing a landmark 100th Premier League goal involvement in just 94 matches.

Aside from the penalty, Haaland had few chances in front of goal due to the usual lack of service from his teammates.

12. Manchester City substitutes:

Bernardo Silva- 5 Replaced Savinho just 12 minutes into the second half. The midfielder was soon forced off due to some apparent discomfort.

Kevin De Bruyne- 6 Replaced Marmoush with four minutes of normal time remaining. Showed real intent to help City in attack, with a promising free-kick delivery only taken away from his teammates via a Gündogan deflection.

Phil Foden- 5 Replaced the injured Bernardo Silva in the 75th minute. Looked to make things happen for City when on the ball, however failed to make a significant impact.