Man City drops more points to dent Premier League title challenge, Man United draws with Burnley

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.

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)

Buffalo (12-5) at Jacksonville (13-4)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL odds: Bills by 1.

Against the spread: Bills 8-9, Jaguars 12-5.

Series record: Tied 10-10, with Jacksonville winning both postseason matchups.

Last meeting: Bills beat the Jaguars 47-10 in Buffalo on Sept. 23, 2024.

Last week: Jaguars beat the Titans 41-7; Bills beat the Jets 35-8.

Bills offense: overall (4), rush (1), pass (15), scoring (T4).

Bills defense: overall (7), rush (28), pass (1), scoring (12).

Jaguars offense: overall (11), rush (20), pass (12), scoring (6).

Jaguars defense: overall (11), rush (1), pass (21), scoring (8).

Turnover differential: Bills plus-1; Jaguars plus-13.

QB Josh Allen enters the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and with a 7-6 record, with four of those losses on the road. He’s completed 65.7% of his passes, averaging 258 yards a game, with 33 touchdowns (25 passing, seven rushing, one receiving). He also has just four interceptions and two lost fumbles.

RB Travis Etienne could be playing his final game in Jacksonville. The fifth-year pro is a pending free agent, and although he has a career-high 13 total touchdowns, he hasn’t topped 100 yards rushing since late September. Going against a defense that has allowed more than 150 yards on the ground seven times gives him a chance to shine.

The NFL’s top rushing attack against the league’s best run defense. Buffalo’s James Cook led the league with 1,621 yards rushing, averaging 95.3 a game, and faces a unit that didn’t allow any player to reach 75 yards on the ground. The Jaguars topped the league in run defense for the first time in franchise history, allowing 85.6 yards a game. They became the third team since 2000 to not allow a 75-yard rusher in any game.

Bills: Jordan Phillips won’t play after joining fellow DT Ed Oliver (torn bicep/knee) on injured reserve. Rookie CB Maxwell Hairston (ankle) is not expected to play. K Matt Prater is questionable after aggravating a quadriceps injury to his kicking leg. Starting LB Terrel Bernard’s status bears monitoring because of a calf injury that led to him sitting out last weekend.

Jaguars: RG Patrick Mekari (back) and LT Cole Van Lanen (knee) are expected back. Mekari missed the past two weeks, and Van Lanen injured his right knee in the fourth quarter against Tennessee and sat out practice Wednesday.

The series is tied at 10, although Jacksonville has won three of the past four, including a wild-card game in the 2017 season that featured Jaguars QB Blake Bortles finishing with more rushing yards (88) than passing yards (87).

The Bills are 7-7 in playoff games in nine seasons under coach Sean McDermott, with five of those losses coming on the road. ... The Bills have dropped eight consecutive road games in the playoffs, all of them since a win at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game. The road skid is the NFL’s second-longest, active postseason run behind Detroit’s 12 in a row. ... Buffalo went 6-5 when trailing at halftime and twice overcame double-digit, fourth-quarter deficits. ... Allen was sacked a career-high 40 times and went 3-5 in games he committed a turnover. Playoffs included, he’s 48-35 in games in which he commits a turnover, and 46-10 in turnover-free outings. ... Cook is Buffalo’s first player to win the NFL rushing title since O.J. Simpson did so four times, the last one coming in 1976. ... Khalil Shakir led Buffalo with 719 yards receiving, but the Bills had 11 players with at least one TD catch, led by TE Dalton Kincaid’s five. ... LT Dion Dawkins, S Jordan Poyer, CB Tre’Davious White, LB Matt Milano and LS Reid Ferguson all holdovers from the Buffalo team that lost at Jacksonville in the 2017 wild-card game. … The Jaguars are averaging 33.6 points during their eight-game winning streak, the franchise's longest since 1999. ... They are 4-1 in home playoff games. … Jacksonville is the third team in NFL history to win 13 or more games a season after losing 13 or more, joining a list that includes 2025 New England and 1999 Indianapolis. … Jacksonville's Liam Coen is the seventh head coach in NFL history to win 13 or more games in his first season. ... QB Trevor Lawrence joined Allen, Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Carolina’s Cam Newton as the only players in NFL history with 25 or more TD passes and nine of more TD runs the same season. Lawrence has 24 total TDs (19 passing and five rushing) during the team's win streak. ... LB Devin Lloyd finished second in the NFL with six takeaways, including five interceptions. ... CB Antonio Johnson had a career-high nine pass defenses in the regular season. ... Lloyd and Johnson were only players in the NFL with five or more INTs and at least one sack.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Jacksonville Jaguars place-kicker Cam Little (39) celebrates his 67-yard field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Alec Anderson (70) spikes the ball after running back Ty Johnson scored a touchdown against the New York Jets in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs the ball past Tennessee Titans outside linebackers Truman Jones (56) and Jaylen Harrell, far right, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)