Dutch Goalkeeper Verbruggen Denies Haaland Late Winner

Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen emerged as Brighton & Hove Albion’s hero on Wednesday, producing a crucial late save to deny Erling Haaland and secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester City. The result extends the champions’ winless run to three Premier League matches and leaves them five points behind Arsenal.
Manchester City took the lead four minutes before halftime when Haaland converted from the penalty spot. The Norwegian was given the opportunity after Diego Gomez fouled Jeremy Doku in the box, with VAR confirming the referee’s decision. The goal was Haaland’s 150th for Manchester City, ended a three-match scoring drought, and took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season.
City nearly extended their advantage early in the second half when Bernardo Silva intercepted a Brighton defensive error, but his effort struck the post. The match’s temperature rose when a confrontation erupted between City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, with both players receiving yellow cards.
Brighton equalized on the hour mark through Kaoru Mitoma, who demonstrated composure and quality. The Japanese winger collected a pass from wide, positioned himself at the edge of the box, and guided a low shot into the far corner with excellent technique.
The visitors assumed control after leveling the score, dictating the tempo and creating several opportunities to claim victory. Mitoma nearly turned from scorer to provider when he found Gomez inside the penalty area, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s rebound attempt from a tight angle hit the post. The decisive moment came in stoppage time when Haaland broke through one-on-one with Verbruggen, but the Dutch goalkeeper produced a superb save to preserve Brighton’s hard-earned point.