Man City 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion: Rulli penalty heroics send City through after late twist
Manchester City needed a penalty shootout to see off a spirited Brighton & Hove Albion side at the Etihad Stadium, twice coming from behind before Gerónimo Rulli's saves sent them through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 4-3 win on spot-kicks after a 2-2 draw.
Brighton made the better start and took the lead in the 30th minute when Malick Yalcouyé turned home from close range after being set up by Georginio Rutter. City responded before the break, Mateo Kovacic levelling with a fine strike from outside the box, finished off a pass from Phil Foden in the 40th minute.
The seesaw continued early in the second half as Rutter struck again just two minutes after the restart, this time turning provider into scorer by converting a Jaouen Hadjam assist to put Brighton back in front at 47 minutes. City needed another twist, and got one in the 72nd minute when substitute contributions told, as Vitor Reis headed home from a set piece, Rayan Cherki supplying the assist, to make it 2-2.
With the scores locked at the end of 90 minutes, the tie went to penalties, and it was Rulli who proved the difference, with City converting 4-3 to edge through. The Guardian described it as "Rulli's shootout heroics" earning the win, noting how Jérémy Doku's introduction off the bench had turned City into a "high-octane proposition" in the second half.
Cards were shown throughout what was a feisty affair. Brighton's Michael Svoboda was booked in the first half for a bad foul, while City's Ayyoub Bouaddi picked up a yellow for handball shortly after. Late in the game Brighton's Mats Wieffer and Lewis Dunk were both cautioned in stoppage time as the visitors pushed to avoid the shootout.
Statistically, City had the better of possession with 56.6% but were actually outshot by Brighton, who had 17 attempts to City's 13 and more shots on target too, six to three. Brighton also won more corners, with seven to City's three, while City's goalkeeper made four saves across the match. It was City's attacking changes that shifted the momentum, and the Manchester Evening News highlighted Foden's full-time reaction as a sign of an "emerging Man City partnership" developing on the pitch.
The Manchester Evening News also handed out its player ratings, naming Rulli the hero of the shootout and praising Foden's display in a game played under Enzo Maresca. With victory secured, focus for City now turns to finding out their last-eight opponents, as the Manchester Evening News reported City were "set to learn" their Carabao Cup quarter-final opponents later that evening. For Brighton, there will be disappointment at falling just short despite twice taking the lead, but credit too for the fight they showed against the Premier League's league leaders at the Etihad.
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
