Manchester City squeaked past Brighton 4-3 on penalties after a topsy-turvy last-16 League Cup encounter ended 2-2 after 90 minutes.
Brighton twice led in normal time before City hit back on both occasions to force spot-kicks. Stand-in goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli was then the hero, denying both Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk from the spot to set up a home meeting with League One Bradford in the quarter-finals for City.
It proved to be a tough night for Enzo Maresca’s men however. They found themselves a goal down on the half hour mark when Malick Yalcouye scored from close range with an attempt that Rulli could do little about.
But the hosts didn’t have to wait too long to level up. Midfielder Mateo Kovacic fired in a shot that went in off the left-hand post to make it 1-1.
An easy-on-the-eye Brighton move then had the visitors back in front, just moments after the restart. Albion worked it well down their left flank and when Jaouen Hadjam played it centrally to Georginio Rutter, the forward made no mistake with a slick finish.
Rulli then kept City in the game with a speculative tip over the bar after Rutter tried his luck from distance. Rutter could have had a hat-trick but after rounding Rulli he fed a shot into the side netting.
That profligacy was punished by City when, on 72 minutes, Vitor Reis got the slightest of touches to divert a Rayan Cherki free-kick into the net. Mats Wieffer almost won in late for Brighton only to see a shot come back off the post, meaning penalties loomed.
Jason Steele’s save from Kovacic had Brighton briefly in front but Rulli kept out Ayari and after Cherki buried his spot-kick, another Rulli stop to deny Dunk saw City go through.
Maresca reflected: “To be honest, since I’ve been here we never practiced penalties.
“We’re very happy with the five, even Mateo. It always happens, the one that scored during the 90 minutes, and then misses the penalty.
“I was happy with the way we planned the game, with the rotation, and especially I was very, very, very happy with the ones that were playing.”
Beaten Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said: “I’m disappointed as the game was there for us [to win], but we conceded a few goals which were very unlucky. Overall, there were plenty of positives to take away from the performance.
“My players showed togetherness and always tried to keep going. We had plenty of chances that we couldn’t score. Sometimes you also need a bit of luck and we didn’t have that.”
The two teams don’t have long before meeting again – they play in the Premier League, again at the Etihad, on Saturday.
