Analysis: Haaland milestone overshadowed by another stalemate

In the space of a week, Manchester City's quest to regain a Premier League trophy that they have lifted six times in the past eight seasons has fallen away badly because of three successive draws.

They failed to score at Sunderland, conceded a late goal against Chelsea on Sunday and were unable to hold on to their lead against Brighton on Wednesday.

The two-point deficit they faced on 1 January will reach eight if Mikel Arteta's men win their crucial meeting against Liverpool on Thursday.

Injuries to Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones left Pep Guardiola to cobble together a makeshift backline, handing a debut to 20-year-old academy product Max Alleyne after recalling him from on loan at Watford, and partnering him with 21-year-old Uzbek Abdukodir Khusanov.

The flat atmosphere from the crowd appeared to seep on to the pitch, with the players unable to find any real rhythm, as City failed to hold on to an advantage for a second successive home game.

This was only the third time in Guardiola's illustrious managerial career that he has drawn three straight games, but they did come close to snatching the win as they pushed on in the second half.

Erling Haaland, who had notched his landmark goal in the opening period, flicked a header which was cleared off the line and then saw a low effort kept out by Bart Verbruggen before firing into the side netting.

City, who faced a few jeers at the end, look far from the side who ended 2025 with eight straight wins - and Guardiola has work to do to galvanise his depleted squad.