Rulli the substitute turns hero: two saved penalties send City into Carabao Cup quarterfinals

There are nights when the least expected starter ends up being the headline act. This time it was Gerónimo Rulli, Manchester City's backup goalkeeper, who played the hero in the penalty shootout to send his side into the Carabao Cup quarterfinals after beating Brighton 4-3 from the spot, following a 2-2 draw that had a bit of everything at the Etihad Stadium.

The Argentine saved the shot from Yasin Ayari and then did the same to Lewis Dunk, two stops that ultimately proved decisive in sending the reigning champions through to the next round. It was no ordinary match either: City had to come from behind twice just to force the tie into a shootout.

Brighton struck first through Malick Yalcouyé in the 30th minute, but City responded before halftime through Mateo Kovacic, who leveled the score, though later, in one of those strange twists football likes to produce, it would be Kovacic himself who missed his penalty in the shootout. The equalizer did not last long, as a sharp Georginio Rutter put the visitors back in front and, for good measure, also rattled the crossbar with another effort.

City managed to drag the game to penalties thanks to a deflection off Vitor Reis from a Rayan Cherki free kick, with the ball ending up in the net and forcing the match into a shootout. There, with the weight of a packed Etihad bearing down, Rulli stepped up to seal the win.

Wholesale changes on both sides

Enzo Maresca opted for a complete shake-up, making nine changes from the team that had fallen to Aston Villa and leaving out names like Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rúben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol, who were given a few days of rest.

Brighton did not field their strongest lineup either, making seven changes of their own with an eye on the fact that this was the first of two visits to the Etihad in the space of just four days. That may explain why the opening stretch of the match was a tough watch, with little intensity in the early minutes before the game opened up and delivered all the drama that followed.