MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City's Premier League title hopes took another blow after a 1-1 draw with Brighton on Wednesday.
Not even Erling Haaland’s 150th goal for the club was enough to stop City from dropping points at home for the second time in as many games and recording a third-straight draw. Kaoru Mitoma’s equalizer stopped Pep Guardiola’s team from closing the gap to first-place Arsenal to three points.
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Newcastle United's Harvey Barnes, left, scores during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Leeds United in Newcastle, England, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2026. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Manchester United's interim manager Darren Fletcher and Lisandro Martinez walk off the pitch after the Premier League soccer match between Burnley and Manchester United in Burnley, England Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Chelsea's head coach Liam Rosenior, centre, and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali, right, watch the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Chelsea in London, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland, right, attempts a shot at goal in front of Brighton's Lewis Dunk during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola reacts after Erling Haaland missed a scoring opportunity during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
The City manager blamed missed chances for the latest setback.
“We were expecting goals but it’s not about that, we have to score goals. We could not do it, and we have to accept it,” he said.
Aston Villa also missed out on the chance to move within three points of first-place Arsenal after a goalless draw at Crystal Palace.
Manchester United’s first game since firing Ruben Amorim on Monday ended in a 2-2 draw at relegation-fighting Burnley and new Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior watched on from the stands as his team was beaten 2-1 by Fulham.
Newcastle scored in the 12th minute of added time to beat Leeds 4-3. According to the Premier League it was latest winner on record in the competition. And Antoine Semenyo also struck in added time as Bournemouth beat Tottenham 3-2 in what could be his last game before a widely anticipated move to City.
For the second time is as many games City blew a lead at home to ease the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the standings.
After the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday Pep Guardiola's team was held again, this time by Brighton.
Haaland's 41st-minute penalty put City ahead at halftime. But after Mitoma's equalizer on the hour, Haaland was guilty of wasting a golden chance to score the winner when he shot straight at Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen late on.
“It’s not just one or two players, it’s all the players up front,” Guardiola said.
A run of three draws also included a 0-0 with Sunderland on New Year's Day.
Second-placed City is five points behind Arsenal, having played a game more. The gap to the top could be extended to eight points if Arsenal beats Liverpool on Thursday.
Villa is third and level on points with City after a 0-0 draw at Palace — the second time in three games that Unai Emery's team has dropped points.
Darren Fletcher couldn’t lead United to victory in his first game as interim coach, with Jaidon Anthony scoring a long-range equalizer for second-from-bottom Burnley.
Two goals from Benjamin Sesko saw United bounce back from Ayden Heaven’s early own goal. But Burnley salvaged a draw with the stunning strike from Anthony.
United has won one of its last six games and only three from 12.
Fletcher said afterward that he would remain in charge for the FA Cup tie against Brighton on Sunday. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick among the candidates to become interim coach until the end of the season.
"It’s an amazing experience. I’m disappointed we didn’t win the game, I can’t hide that, but the experience of leading the team out, preparing the team, the support, it’s a pleasure, an honor," Fletcher said.
Rosenior has a job on his hands at Chelsea.
The Club World Cup winner is eighth in the standings after extending its winless run to five games.
Harry Wilson's 82-minute goal secured victory for Fulham against a Chelsea team that had Marc Cucurella sent off early in the match and was led by interim Calum McFarlane, despite the appointment of Rosenior on Tuesday.
Rosenior's first game will be the FA Cup tie against Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
In what might go down as one of the best Premier League games of the season, Harvey Barnes scored in the 102nd minute as Newcastle beat Leeds 4-3.
Leeds led three time at St James' Park and was 3-2 ahead as the clock ticked past 90 minutes.
But there was still plenty of drama to come.
Bruno Guimaraes made it 3-3 from the penalty spot in the 91st and Barnes spun to squeeze home his second of the match and the winner.
Brentford is up to fifth after a 3-0 win over Sunderland, with Igor Thiago continuing his outstanding scoring run.
The Brazilian struck two more for Keith Andrews’ team to take his personal tally to 17 goals for the season. With 16 in the Premier League, only Haaland on 20 has more.
His double also followed the hat trick he scored against Everton on Sunday.
According to stats firm Opta, Thiago has now has the record for the most Premier League goals by a Brazilian in a single season.
“Goals are what you get judged on as a striker and it is fair to say he is having a special season,” Andrews said.
Nine-man Everton drew 1-1 with last-place Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After 12 straight losses, Wolves are now three games unbeaten, but still 14 points adrift of safety.
He is widely expected to complete a move to City and if this was his last game for Bournemouth, Semenyo went out with a bang.
With a goal in the fifth minute of added time, the forward sealed a dramatic late victory over Spurs and ended Bournemouth's 11-game winless run.
"There are still formalities. I’m afraid to say because I don’t want to lose him, but that looks like it will be his last moments with us,” Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola said.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Newcastle United's Harvey Barnes, left, scores during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Leeds United in Newcastle, England, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2026. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Manchester United's interim manager Darren Fletcher and Lisandro Martinez walk off the pitch after the Premier League soccer match between Burnley and Manchester United in Burnley, England Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Chelsea's head coach Liam Rosenior, centre, and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali, right, watch the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Chelsea in London, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland, right, attempts a shot at goal in front of Brighton's Lewis Dunk during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola reacts after Erling Haaland missed a scoring opportunity during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
President Donald Trump said Thursday Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general.
Trump in a social media post named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general, though three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a permanent pick.
It marks the end of a contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.
Here is the latest:
Trump picked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to be acting attorney general, but three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Zeldin as Bondi’s permanent replacement.
Zeldin, before Trump tapped him to lead the environmental agency, was a Republican congressman from New York. A staunch ally of the president, he worked on Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment and voted against certifying Trump’s 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.
Under his leadership, the EPA has rolled back climate change regulations and proposed including microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the list of drinking water contaminates.
Fields said Pam Bondi’s firing was “deeply troubling — not because of who is leaving, but because of why.”
Fields said in a statement that he has been critical of Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files but “here is what should alarm every American: reports indicate that Trump’s frustration stemmed not from Bondi’s failure to uphold the law — but from his belief that she didn’t weaponize the Justice Department aggressively enough against his political enemies.”
He said politically motivated cases against former FBI-Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James had been thrown out.
“The Justice Department is not the President’s personal law firm and shouldn’t be used as a tool for retribution.” Fields said the issues of the files and the independence of the department should be addressed before anyone else is confirmed.
The Kentucky Republican previously broke with his party to push legislation forcing the release of the Epstein files, and accused Bondi on X in January of making “illegal redactions and withholding key documents.”
On Thursday, Massie said on X that he supported Trump’s decision, adding that “I hope the next AG will release all the Epstein files according to the law and follow up with investigations, prosecutions, and arrests.”
Bondi released a statement Thursday, which read:
“Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration.
Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history.
Since February 2025, we have secured the lowest murder rate in 125 years, secured first-ever terrorism convictions against members of Antifa, shattered domestic and transnational gangs across the country, taken custody of more than 90 key cartel figures, and won 24 favorable rulings at the Supreme Court.
I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.”
Democrats in Congress were celebrating the firing of the attorney general, whose appearance on Capitol Hill often featured bitter exchanges with Democratic lawmakers. But they also said that new leadership alone would not be enough to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to remake the Department of Justice to do his bidding.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that under Bondi’s leadership, the Justice Department “has lost centuries of professional experience, willfully violated federal law and judicial orders alike” and added that her firing is “not enough to restore the credibility of the Justice Department.”
Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Bondi’s “legacy will be the weaponization of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency for Donald Trump’s personal benefit, but apparently even she didn’t go far enough to appease him.”
The Republican had only nice things to say about Bondi in an emailed statement, noting a drop in violent crime during her tenure and her Justice Department’s responsiveness to congressional oversight requests.
“The Judiciary Committee stands ready to advance President Trump’s next Attorney General nominee,” Grassley said.
The attorney general was facing a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee on April 14 as lawmakers look into how the Department of Justice handled the release of the case files on Jeffrey Epstein.
The chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer, said in a statement that he would survey Republicans on the committee on whether they still wanted to enforce the subpoena.
Democrats quickly called on the committee to follow through on the subpoena. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement that Bondi “will not escape accountability and remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath.”
Bondi was subpoenaed last month to appear before the Republican-led Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and face questions over the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and release of the related files.
Mace, who sits on the committee, said in a statement Thursday that Bondi “will be appearing” in two weeks because the “DOJ still hasn’t complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”
Past attorney generals generally took pains to maintain an arm’s-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.
But Bondi postured herself as Trump’s chief supporter and protector, praising and defending him in congressional hearings and placing a banner with his face on the exterior of Justice Department headquarters.
She called for an end to the “weaponization” of law enforcement that she said occurred under the Biden administration, though her critics said she was the one who had politicized the agency to do the president’s bidding.
The Justice Department’s review and release of Epstein files frustrated members of Congress, who accused the department of hiding certain documents, over-redacting files and, in other cases, failing to redact sensitive information about the victims.
The department denied that it redacted documents in order to protect people and that it improperly withheld certain material. Still, it caused a series of headaches for the Trump administration.
“Thank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General,” Blanche wrote in a post on X, after saying that Bondi led the department with “strength and conviction.”
“We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe,” Blanche said.
Blanche is a former federal prosecutor who worked as Trump’s criminal defense attorney in two cases brought by the department under President Joe Biden’s administration.
He was also a key figure on the president’s defense team in the hush money case against Trump in New York.
Blanche became second in command behind Bondi at the Justice Department last year.
“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, after saying she’s been a “loyal friend.”
Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, in response to earlier reports that President Donald Trump was considering ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi, said in a statement Thursday: “I welcome it.”
“Bondi handled the Epstein Files in a terrible manner and seriously undermined President Trump,” said Mace in the statement, whose long been critical of the justice department over the release and review of the Jefferey Epstein files.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general, ending the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.
The announcement follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives even with her close relationship with Trump. She also struggled to satisfy Trump’s demands to prosecute his political rivals, with multiple investigations rejected by judges or grand juries.
The former Florida attorney general came into office last year pledging that she would not play politics with the Justice Department, but she quickly started investigations of Trump foes, sparking an outcry that the law enforcement agency was being wielded as a tool of revenge to advance the president’s political and personal agenda.
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FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington, as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
FILE - Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meets with reporters in Washington, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
