Wasteful Manchester City dropped points for the third game in a row after being held to a 1-1 draw with battling Brighton.
In a game of chances aplenty, neither side could make more than one opening count, as Erling Haaland brought his goal tally up to 150 in all competitions and Kaoru Mitoma scored only his second goal of the season to level.
Haaland's latest milestone ended a three-game mini goal drought, converting from the penalty spot after Jeremy Doku had been felled by Diego Gomez in the first half. VAR intervened to send on-field referee Thomas Bramall to the pitchside monitor and belatedly award the spot-kick.
The opener arrived after Brighton had wasted a hat-trick of chances to take the lead and properly test City's makeshift backline, which included 20-year-old debutant Max Alleyne - recalled from a loan spell at Watford three days prior. But shortly after the restart, where City are so often vulnerable, Mitoma fired through the legs of Nico Gonzalez.
Both sides could have won it. City should have. Substitute Rayan Cherki teed up Haaland for the easiest chance of the game and he failed to take it, while also seeing a header cleared off the line by Ferdi Kadioglu. Just before, Mitoma had run into the post rather than steer the ball inside it.
City finished the game having created four big chances, according to Opta, with xG value of 2.38, and missing three of them. Of 22 efforts at goal only six managed to hit the target. Arsenal now have the chance to open up an eight-point gap at the top when they host Liverpool, live on Your Site, on Thursday.
Your Site' Gary Neville:
"It feels like a big week. Manchester City drawing at home to Brighton, it feels like another punch in the ribs.
"Arsenal will be going to bed tonight ahead of a big game tomorrow night against Liverpool very confident of where they are at right now."
Man City boss Pep Guardiola:
"I liked a lot the way we played, a lot! Many new players and many good things but we don't score goals.
"It's too many clear chances and it's not just one, two, three players, it's all the people up front - we created a lot.
"And unfortunately we could not score, and scoring goals is part of doing your job. We played exceptionally well. We did very good things, defensively the team is incredibly committed, defending really good with everyone.
"But we created a lot, chances in the six-yard box, and we could not score. Not just today, not just one player, it's everyone!"
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler:
"We started strong in the game. We created three big chances and should have scored. The penalty came out of nowhere and changed the dynamic. Overall it was up and down. We're pleased how we created chances, and not pleased how we gave them away.
"We made too many mistakes to win the game, so that's why we have to be happy with a draw."
On tensions on the touchline: "When it's a tight game it's always emotional. Everyone shares their opinion. That's football. I have huge respect for the staff of Manchester City, emotions are a part of football. Everything is fine."
On the battle between Van Hecke and Haaland: "I love it. It's part of a football game. It's always a tight battle between these two, they are both good players, then afterwards they give a handshake and we move on."
