Woodwork Denies Both Sides in Entertaining Draw

The woodwork played a significant role on Wednesday as both Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion hit the post in an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium. The result continues City’s disappointing run of form, with three consecutive league draws leaving them five points behind Arsenal in the Premier League standings.
Manchester City opened the scoring four minutes before halftime when Erling Haaland converted a penalty after Jeremy Doku was fouled by Diego Gomez. The decision was confirmed by VAR, and Haaland confidently scored his 150th goal for the club and his 20th in the Premier League this season, ending a three-match goal drought.
The second half saw City strike the post through Bernardo Silva, who pounced on a Brighton error only to see his shot rebound off the woodwork. The match became heated when goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Maxim De Cuyper were involved in an altercation, resulting in both players receiving yellow cards.
Brighton equalised in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who demonstrated excellent composure to guide a low shot into the bottom corner from just outside the box. The goal energised the visitors, who subsequently took control of the match and created numerous opportunities.
The visitors came agonisingly close to claiming all three points when Mitoma’s angled effort from near the byline rattled the post following a scramble in the penalty area. In the dying minutes, Haaland had a clear chance to win the match for City, but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen produced a vital save to deny him and secure a valuable point for his team in a match where the woodwork proved decisive.