Man City player ratings vs Brighton: Title race over?! Wasteful Erling Haaland misses huge chances in third-straight draw while Phil Foden goes missing

Manchester City walked off the pitch against Brighton with the same feeling they have known too well in recent weeks. Frustration. Disbelief. And a growing sense of panic that something precious is slipping away. This was supposed to be the night when City reminded everyone why they are champions, why the Etihad is a fortress, why pressure does not break them. Instead, it ended in another draw, the third in a row, and this one felt heavier than the others. This one felt like damage.

As the final whistle blew, the stadium did not explode in anger. It went quiet. Not the silence of acceptance, but the silence of worry. Fans looked at the pitch, at Pep Guardiola, at Erling Haaland, and asked the same question in different ways. Is the title race over?

City had chances. Big chances. The kind of chances champions usually bury without mercy. But this time, the ball refused to go in, and the man everyone relies on when things get tight could not deliver. Erling Haaland, the goal machine, the difference maker, missed opportunities that will be replayed again and again. Phil Foden, usually so sharp in moments like this, drifted through the game like a shadow, barely leaving a mark.

This was not a defeat on the scoreboard, but it felt like one in the title race.

From the first minute, Manchester City looked determined to take control. The ball moved quickly, the passes were sharp, and Brighton were pushed back. Pep Guardiola’s team lined up with confidence, even with their defensive injury crisis, trusting possession to protect them. The message was clear. Dominate the ball, dominate the game, and the goals will come.

But football is cruel when confidence turns into carelessness.

City carved out early chances, moving Brighton from side to side, stretching them, pulling defenders out of shape. Haaland found space between the centre backs. The crowd rose. The moment felt inevitable. Then the shot went wide. A murmur ran through the stadium. No panic yet, just surprise.

Minutes later, another chance fell to Haaland. This time closer. This time clearer. The kind of chance he scores nine times out of ten. He took it early, maybe rushed, maybe overthinking, and again the ball did not hit the net. This time the reaction was louder. Hands on heads. Shouts of disbelief. The first signs of anxiety.

Brighton, to their credit, did not crumble. They stayed organised, absorbed pressure, and waited. Every missed chance gave them belief. Every wasted opportunity gave them oxygen. City kept the ball, but the edge was gone. The killer instinct was missing.

Phil Foden was supposed to be the spark. With injuries in defence and midfield, City needed creativity, movement, someone to break the pattern. But Foden struggled to impose himself. He picked up the ball in good positions but often chose the safe option. The forward runs were fewer. The urgency was missing. For a player of his talent, in a game of this importance, it was a worrying performance.

Brighton began to grow into the match, not by dominating possession, but by being clever. They pressed at the right moments, forced City into rushed passes, and reminded them that control without goals means nothing. Every Brighton attack, even when it did not lead to a shot, carried tension because City’s back line looked fragile.

The defensive issues that have haunted City recently were never far from the surface. With key players missing, there was always the fear that one mistake could undo everything. That fear seemed to spread, subtly but clearly, into City’s attacking play. Instead of playing freely, they played carefully. Instead of trusting instinct, they hesitated.

Haaland’s body language told its own story. He demanded the ball. He made the runs. He was desperate to score. But with every missed chance, the weight grew heavier. His confidence, usually unshakeable, looked fragile. When another golden opportunity fell his way late in the first half and he failed to convert, the frustration was impossible to hide.

At halftime, City went into the dressing room knowing they should have been ahead. Brighton went in knowing they were still alive.

The second half followed a similar pattern, but with a sharper edge. City pushed harder. The tempo increased. Guardiola paced the touchline, gesturing, urging, demanding more. The crowd tried to lift the team, sensing the importance of the moment.

Another chance came. And another. Haaland again. This one was huge. Clean through. Time to pick his spot. The net gaping. And somehow, incredibly, it did not end in a goal. The collective gasp around the Etihad said everything. This was not just one bad miss. This was a theme.

For the first time in a long while, opponents could sense weakness. Brighton did not look afraid. They began to commit more men forward, knowing City were wasting energy and opportunities. The longer the game stayed level, the more nervous City became.

Phil Foden continued to struggle. He drifted wide, dropped deep, tried to get involved, but nothing clicked. Passes went astray. Dribbles ended quickly. This was not the fearless Foden fans are used to. This was a player caught between roles, unsure where he could hurt the opposition.

Guardiola made changes, trying to inject fresh energy, fresh ideas. But the rhythm never fully returned. Brighton stayed disciplined, compact, and brave. They did not need many chances. They just needed City to keep missing theirs.

When the final whistle came, the scoreboard showed another draw. But the table, the context, the season told a harsher truth. Three straight draws at this stage of the campaign feel like dropped points, not shared ones. In a title race as tight as this, mistakes are punished ruthlessly.

Erling Haaland will take most of the headlines, and perhaps rightly so. His job is to score goals. On this night, he failed to do that when it mattered most. But this was not just about one player. This was about a team that looks mentally tired, stretched by injuries, and weighed down by expectation.

Phil Foden’s quiet night raises uncomfortable questions. Is he carrying a knock? Is he exhausted? Or is the pressure finally catching up? City need him at his best, especially when others are missing. When he disappears, the team loses a vital creative spark.

Defensively, City did enough to avoid defeat, but that is not the standard they set for themselves. Clean sheets are important, but goals win titles. Possession without purpose is just control for the sake of it.

The bigger question now hangs in the air. Is the title race slipping away? Rivals will look at this run of draws and smell opportunity. They will see a City side that is human, vulnerable, and uncertain. The aura of inevitability is fading.

Pep Guardiola will defend his players publicly. He always does. He will talk about performance, chances created, control. And he will be right in some ways. City did many things well. But football is brutal in its simplicity. Chances missed do not count. Dominance without goals means nothing.

For Haaland, this match will hurt deeply. He is his own biggest critic. He knows the standards he has set. Nights like this can either break confidence or fuel a response. City will hope it is the latter.

For Foden, reflection is needed. Big players must show up in big moments. This was one of those moments, and he did not.

For the fans, belief is being tested. They have seen comebacks before. They have seen City surge late in seasons and crush rivals. But this feels different. Injuries, fatigue, and missed chances are combining at the worst possible time.

The title race is not mathematically over. But emotionally, psychologically, this draw feels like a turning point. City needed a win. They needed a statement. They got another reminder that football does not care about reputation. Brighton will leave the Etihad proud of their discipline and courage. City will stay behind, searching for answers.

As the season moves forward, every game now feels like a final. There is no margin left for wastefulness. No room for stars to go missing. No time for hesitation.

If Manchester City are to defend their title, it will require something special. A response built on ruthlessness, clarity, and belief. Because nights like this, where everything is in your hands and still slips away, are the nights that decide championships.

And for the first time in a long time, Manchester City look like a team chasing rather than controlling their destiny.