Cherki's deflected free-kick rescues City as Rulli seals Carabao Cup shootout win over Brighton

Manchester City survived a nervy Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, coming from 2-1 down to level through a deflected Rayan Cherki free-kick before goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli saved two spot-kicks to seal a penalty shootout victory.

Enzo Maresca made nine changes from the weekend’s Premier League fixture, leaving Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma out of the squad entirely — three of the club’s four captains absent as Marc Guehi led the side. The heavily rotated lineup showed early, with both teams sloppy in possession through a scrappy first half.

Brighton took the lead when Malick Yalcouye converted from close range in a goal City protested should have been ruled offside, though with no VAR in operation the goal stood. Mateo Kovacic equalised before the break, only for Croatian midfielder to then lose Georgino Rutter in the second half, with the forward finishing coolly from Jaouen Hadjam’s cutback to restore Brighton’s advantage.

Maresca cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his side laboured to find a response, but the introduction of Jeremy Doku helped shift the momentum. With 20 minutes remaining, Phil Foden drove into the Brighton half and won a free-kick in a dangerous position. Cherki stepped up and struck it cleanly — only for the ball to cannon off Brighton defender Vitor Reis and loop past a helpless Jason Steele, levelling the tie in fortunate circumstances.

Brighton continued to threaten, testing City with long-range efforts as the game ticked into a shootout, but Rulli — deputising for the rested Donnarumma — proved the difference, spreading himself to deny two Brighton penalties and send City into the next round.

At full-time, Foden was seen seeking out Cherki on the pitch, a moment that underlined the developing connection between the England international and the 21-year-old French midfielder who joined City this summer. With Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Brighton now on the horizon, Maresca’s gamble with his squad rotation ultimately paid off, even if the performance left plenty of room for improvement.