Man City held to 2-2 home draw by Brighton

Manchester City could only muster a 2-2 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, dropping points in a blow to their hopes of playing European football next season.

Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush struck for Pep Guardiola’s men, but Brighton equalised with a second-half own goal by City defender Abdukodir Khusanov after Pervis Estupinan had scored the visitors’ first.

The draw kept champions City provisionally fifth in the Premier League table on 48 points after 29 games. Brighton are a point behind in seventh.

Haaland struck from the penalty spot in the 11th minute after Marmoush was brought down by Adam Webster.

Estupinan levelled 10 minutes later when he caught goalkeeper Stefan Ortega flat-footed with a brilliant free kick off the post.

City reclaimed the lead through Marmoush’s 39th-minute goal, with Ilkay Gundogan laying the ball off for the Egyptian who unleashed a blistering shot into the net.

Khusanov’s attempt to clear Webster’s header from a corner soon after the interval drew the visitors level once again.

Meanwhile, Jake O’Brien headed a last-gasp equaliser as Everton stretched their unbeaten Premier League run to nine games with a 1-1 draw against West Ham United in the ‘David Moyes Derby’ at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek put the Hammers ahead in the 67th, curling the ball into the bottom-right corner after a pass from Jarrod Bowen.

O’Brien rescued the home side’s run from close range in the 90th after Everton had a first-half penalty decision overruled by VAR when a replay showed Beto had kicked the turf rather than being fouled.

Saturday was the first time the clubs had met since manager Moyes returned to Everton, the team he had led from 2002-13, in January after leaving West Ham at the end of last season.

The draw left both sides level on 34 points and with little left to play for other than bragging rights, seemingly safe from relegation but far from any prospect of Europe