Manchester City advanced to the Carabao Cup quarter‑finals after a tense shootout against Brighton & Hove Albion, winning 4‑3 on penalties. The match finished 2‑2 after extra time at the Etihad Stadium, with City coming from behind twice before the game was decided by spot‑kicks. City’s backup goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli was the hero, stopping two penalties and keeping the hosts in the competition.
Enzo Maresca, who took charge of the side after the departure of Pep Guardiola, admitted that the team had never practiced penalties since he arrived. “To be honest, since I've been here we never practiced penalties,” Maresca said before praising the five players who stepped up in the shootout. Phil Foden, Enzo Fernández, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki all converted their kicks, while Mateo Kovacic missed. Rulli’s saves against Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk secured the victory. Maresca noted that “we’re very happy with the five, even Mateo. It always happens, the one that scored during the 90 minutes, and then misses the penalty.”
The game itself had been a rollercoaster. Brighton opened the scoring with a goal from Malick Yalcouyé before halftime, but Georginio Rutter equalised for City after the restart. Rutter’s second‑half goal put the Seagulls back in front, and a tipped shot from Rulli sent the match into extra time. The atmosphere shifted when Jeremy Doku was introduced from the bench, and a free‑kick from Rayan Cherki was diverted by Vitor Reis, keeping the score level and forcing penalties.
Maresca also defended the decision to rest key players such as Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rúben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol, saying the rotation had worked well. He praised Donnarumma’s deputy Rulli for his overall performance, especially in the build‑up play, and expressed satisfaction with the game plan and the players’ execution.
Brighton, who made seven changes, will return to the Etihad for a Premier League clash with Manchester City on Saturday. Manager Fabian Hürzeler said the team had “enough chances to win the game” but felt the goals conceded were unlucky. He added that the club would “reset” and look for revenge in the upcoming league match, emphasizing that the team would not blame players for missed opportunities.