Manchester City Beat Brighton on Penalties to Reach Carabao Cup Quarters
Manchester City reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after overcoming Brighton & Hove Albion 4-3 on penalties at the Etihad Stadium, following a 2-2 draw in which the holders recovered twice from behind. Gerónimo Rulli saved Brighton efforts from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk, while Mateo Kovacic’s missed kick did not prevent City progressing.
What changed for the club
Enzo Maresca made nine alterations to his side and gave Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rúben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol short breaks. He was satisfied with both the selection plan and the performances of those brought into the team.
Rulli, deputising for Donnarumma, was decisive in the shootout and had also impressed Maresca in possession during the match. The City manager highlighted his goalkeeper’s build-up play as well as an important save before the penalties.
City had not specifically prepared for a shootout under Maresca. Nevertheless, Phil Foden, Enzo Fernández, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki converted, with Kovacic the only City player not to score from the spot. Maresca backed all five takers, noting that it can happen that a player who scores during normal time then misses in the shootout.
- Kovacic levelled after Malick Yalcouyé had put Brighton ahead before the interval.
- Georginio Rutter restored the visitors’ advantage after half-time.
- Vitor Reis sent the tie to penalties by turning in Cherki’s free-kick.
Competition context
Brighton came close to taking control after Rutter’s second-half goal. The forward saw one effort pushed onto the crossbar by Rulli and placed another into the side-netting as City came under sustained pressure.
Doku’s introduction from the bench changed the momentum. Maresca stopped short of saying the Belgian alone transformed the match, but said he made a clear contribution, underlining the expectation that substitutes must influence games when called upon.
Brighton had also rotated heavily, with Fabian Hurzeler making seven changes. Hurzeler felt his side created enough opportunities to win and described the goals conceded as unfortunate. He said the group would regroup quickly, while insisting there would be no individual blame for missed chances or penalties.
Hurzeler praised Brighton’s collective effort, including their defensive work without the ball, but City’s late response and Rulli’s two shootout stops kept the holders in the competition.
What is scheduled next
Brighton return to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday for a Premier League meeting with City. Hurzeler said his players have an immediate opportunity to respond after the cup defeat and approach the rematch with a chance to put matters right.
