Manchester City advanced to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals by defeating Brighton 4-3 in a penalty shootout at the Etihad on Wednesday, after the match finished 2-2 in normal time, according to Sky Sports. Rayan Cherki converted the winning penalty, while stand-in goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saved attempts from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk. City will face Bradford City in the last eight in December.
Enzo Maresca's side, the competition's holders, never held a lead during the match. Brighton were the stronger team for much of the evening and scored first through Malick Yalcouye, who finished off a flowing move. Sky Sports reports that there was surprise in the stadium that the assistant referee's flag stayed down, given Yalcouye's position on the last defender, but the goal stood because VAR is not used in this competition.
City equalised before half-time when Mateo Kovacic guided a shot inside the post from the edge of the area. Brighton restored their advantage 90 seconds into the second half, Georginio Rutter finishing first time from Jaouen Hadjam's cut-back. City levelled again on 73 minutes when Cherki's free-kick deflected off Vitor Reis and wrong-footed goalkeeper Jason Steele.
Both sides had chances to win the tie in the closing stages before it went to penalties. Kovacic missed City's first attempt, but Rulli's two saves turned the shootout, and Cherki sealed progress.
Why it matters
City avoided the kind of upset that removed Arsenal the previous night, when the north London club were knocked out by fourth-tier Fleetwood Town, as Sky Sports notes. For a heavily rotated City side, the result keeps alive their defence of the trophy they currently hold.
For Brighton, the exit is harder to take. Fabian Hurzeler had said beforehand that he wanted to win the competition, and his team produced a performance that Sky Sports described as deserving more. The two clubs meet again in the Premier League on Saturday, giving Brighton an immediate opportunity to respond.
Rotation and reaction
Maresca made nine changes to his starting line-up, according to Manchester City's own website, and gave five key players a rest. Sky Sports reports that City's build-up play was slow and predictable without many regular starters, and the manager acknowledged afterwards that his team could have defended better.
"We could have done better defensively," Maresca said. "But we only started three months ago with this project. We have many things we can do better. The game was chaotic but overall we controlled it quite good."
He added that Brighton "always go front foot, man to man" and expected Saturday's league meeting to follow the same pattern. On his squad rotation, he said he was pleased with how the game had been planned and with the players who featured.
Hurzeler, meanwhile, felt his side created enough to win. "We had enough chances to win this game," he said. "The goals we conceded are very unlucky, that's football, they had the luck on their side. We will analyse this game and we have a great chance on Saturday to take revenge."
Brighton will stay in Manchester before the weekend fixture rather than travelling home. Hurzeler said it was unclear whether that would help but that his team would make the most of it. "No excuses," he said. "We will come back full of energy and we go on Saturday."
The shootout
Kovacic was the first player to miss from the spot, but Brighton could not capitalise. Rulli denied Ayari and Dunk, leaving Cherki to convert the decisive kick and send City through. Sky Sports framed the goalkeeper's contribution as the defining one of the night, and The Guardian likewise credited Rulli's saves as the reason City survived the shootout.
The match was the first of two meetings between the clubs in the space of four days. Attention now turns to Saturday's Premier League game at the same venue, where Brighton will look to avenge their cup exit and City will try to carry their momentum into the league.
