Cherki Seals It as Man City Survive Brighton Scare on Penalties

Manchester City survived a Carabao Cup scare at the Etihad, edging Brighton 4-3 on penalties after a chaotic 2-2 draw. Rayan Cherki fired the winning spot-kick, stand-in goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saved twice, and Enzo Maresca’s holders booked a December quarter-final against Bradford City.

City Trail Twice but Refuse to Go Out

City never led during normal time. Brighton were the better side for long spells and looked set to knock out the Carabao Cup holders.

Maresca rested five key players, and it showed. City’s build-up was slow and predictable for much of the night, and Brighton punished them twice.

Yalcouye Strikes in a Controversial Opener

Malick Yalcouye gave Brighton the lead in the 30th minute with an instinctive finish that beat Rulli. The goal followed a slick Brighton move.

There was surprise around the stadium that the linesman’s flag stayed down, as Yalcouye appeared to be on the last line. VAR was not in operation, so he got the benefit of the doubt.

Kovacic Answers Before the Break

City were aggrieved and lifted the tempo. Mateo Kovacic equalised in the 40th minute with a precise strike from the edge of the area that found the inside of the post.

Rutter Restores Brighton’s Lead

City were caught sleeping at the restart. Just 90 seconds into the second half, Georginio Rutter stroked a first-time finish past Rulli from Jaouen Hadjam’s pull-back.

It was a lead Brighton’s brave display had earned. Earlier, Rico Lewis had gone down in the box under a challenge from Yalcouye, but referee Andy Madley waved away the appeal. Pascal Gross also fizzed a low shot just past the far post.

Cherki’s Free-Kick Takes a Wicked Turn

As the game stretched late on, City looked more ragged. Their quality still told, though. In the 73rd minute Cherki’s free-kick took a cruel deflection off Vitor Reis and wrong-footed Jason Steele, giving the goalkeeper no chance.

Both sides had chances to win it in the closing stages. In the end it went to the lottery of penalties.

Rulli Becomes the Shootout Hero

Kovacic missed City’s first penalty, which could have rattled them. Rulli then turned the shootout around by denying Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk.

City scored four of their five spots, and Cherki struck the decisive kick to complete the 4-3 win.

Match Timeline

Key Numbers

What the Managers Said

Maresca admitted it was far from perfect. "The game was chaotic but overall we controlled it quite good," he said. He added that City could have done better defensively.

He also kept the focus on winning. "This is a different competition, but the ambition has to be the same. We need to do our business, that is winning games."

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler felt his side deserved more. "We had enough chances to win this game. The goals we conceded are very unlucky, that’s football."

Saturday Rematch Already Looms

There is little time to dwell on it. The two sides meet again in the Premier League on Saturday, and Hurzeler has made his intentions clear. "We have a great chance on Saturday to take revenge," he said.

Maresca expects the same approach from Brighton, with front-foot, man-to-man football once again.

City Avoid a Cup Upset and Eye Bradford

City narrowly avoided the fate of Arsenal, who were knocked out by fourth-tier Fleetwood Town on Tuesday. Instead, they march on to a December quarter-final against League One side Bradford City.

It was not pretty, but cup runs are often built on nights like this. City were second best for long spells, yet they still found a way through.