Man City beat Brighton on penalties after dramatic League Cup comeback

What the report says

Manchester City advanced in the English League Cup after a tense home match against Brighton that finished 2-2 and was decided 4-3 on penalties, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP/AP. The result sent City into the quarterfinals and keeps them on track to defend the competition they won previously. They will next face Bradford City, a third-tier side, for a place in the semifinals.

The match featured repeated momentum swings. Brighton opened the scoring through Malick Yalcouye in the first half, before Mateo Kovacic equalized from long range. Brighton moved ahead again early in the second half through Georginio Rutter, but City responded late when Vitor Reis deflected in a free kick from Rayan Cherki to make it 2-2. City then recovered from a setback in the shootout after Kovacic’s effort was saved.

Backup goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli was the decisive figure for City in penalties, stopping Brighton’s final two attempts from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk. Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele also saved one City penalty, but it was not enough to prevent elimination. Al Jazeera noted that City manager Enzo Maresca made nine changes after the team’s weekend Premier League loss at Aston Villa, resting several senior players.

The same report also highlighted other League Cup results, including Bournemouth’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa, Crystal Palace’s 1-0 victory at Fulham and Sunderland’s 3-2 win over Brentford, while Fleetwood Town upset Arsenal on penalties.