MANCHESTER: Manchester City reached the League Cup quarter-finals after beating Brighton and Hove Albion 4-3 on penalties, although manager Enzo Maresca admitted his team had not practised the penalty shootout since the start of the season.
Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli emerged as the hero when he saved two penalty kicks to help the defending champions overcome Brighton after the two teams were tied 2-2 in the fourth round match at the Etihad Stadium early this morning.
Rulli denied Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk’s shots to ensure City continued their progress to the last eight, thus easing the pressure after their first defeat in the English Premier League (EPL) this season.
Phil Foden, Enzo Fernandez, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki each converted their shots for City, while Mateo Kovacic failed to convert his chances.
“Honestly, since I’ve been here, we’ve never practiced penalties,” said Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola last summer.
He was, however, satisfied with the composure of his players when facing the situation, including Kovacic who scored the first goal in the match before failing to convert a penalty kick.
In the intense action, Brighton first took the lead through Malick Yalcouye before Kovacic equalized before the break in the first half.
Georginio Rutter put Brighton back in front early in the second half, but City ensured the match went to penalties when Vitor Reis converted Cherki’s free-kick.
Maresca also praised Doku’s contribution, which made an impact after being included as a substitute, while stressing that every player must take advantage of the opportunity whether they are in the starting lineup or from the bench.
The victory was important for City after they lost to Aston Villa in the EPL last Saturday, thus ending their perfect start to the league this season.
City will now turn their attention to the quarter-final against Bradford City, a third-tier club, with the chance of progressing to the semi-finals wide open.
At the same time, the club is still awaiting the outcome of an appeal against a finding of guilty regarding breaches of EPL financial regulations, a case that could potentially carry severe penalties if their appeal is rejected.
Despite facing a busy schedule, Maresca does not regret his decision to rest several key players, including Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol.
The manager made nine changes to the starting line-up and described the performances of the players given the opportunity as very satisfactory.
He also praised Rulli, who took over from Donnarumma, especially his composure as he helped City build their attack and made several important saves throughout the match.