City Win Shootout Against Brighton Without Penalty Practice

No penalty practice needed for City

Manchester City reached the Carabao Cup quarter finals after beating Brighton 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium. City boss Enzo Maresca revealed after the match that his players had never trained for penalties since he arrived at the club.

City came from behind twice during the match. Malick Yalcouyé scored the opener for Brighton before Mateo Kovacic equalized before halftime. Georginio Rutter restored the lead for Brighton after the break and later hit the side netting after having another effort tipped onto the crossbar by Gerónimo Rulli. City pushed back and leveled when Vitor Reis diverted a free kick from Rayan Cherki into the net.

Rulli steps up after team changes

Maresca made nine changes to his starting line up for the match. Key players Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rúben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol were all rested after being given brief holidays. Back up goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli took his spot in goal and performed well in build up play while making vital saves.

During the shootout, Rulli denied both Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk. Phil Foden, Enzo Fernández, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki all converted their spot kicks for City. Kovacic was the only City player to miss, but Maresca said he was still happy with him, noting that it often happens to players who score in regular time.

Hurzeler targets quick revenge

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler also rotated his squad heavily, making seven changes. He said his side had enough chances to win the match and described the goals they conceded as very unlucky. Hurzeler refused to blame anyone for the loss, saying it is a team sport and praising his players for giving everything on the pitch. He added that his team now has a great opportunity to get revenge when they face City again.