Manchester City needed a penalty shootout to overcome Brighton and reach the quarter-finals of the English League Cup, winning 4-3 after a 2-2 draw at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Mateo Kovacic missed Manchester City’s fourth penalty, while Brighton saw attempts from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk saved or miss the target as the holders avoided an early exit from the competition.
The two sides will meet again at the same stadium on Saturday, 31 October 2026, this time in the Premier League.
Manchester City had made several changes to their starting line-up for the cup tie, giving opportunities to reserve players. Their narrow escape contrasted with Arsenal’s elimination on penalties by Fleetwood, a fourth-tier club, in one of the biggest surprises of the season.
The quarter-final draw will take place at a later stage, with Manchester City joining seven other clubs in the last eight.
Brighton took the lead after 30 minutes when Malick Yalcouye’s shot struck the goalkeeper in the face before continuing into the net.
The visitors’ advantage lasted until five minutes before half-time, when Kovacic levelled for Manchester City with a long-range effort that deceived the goalkeeper.
Brighton restored their lead two minutes after the restart. Georginio Rutter converted a low cross in the 47th minute to put the visitors back in front.
Manchester City equalised for a second time in the 72nd minute when Rayan Cherki’s shot took a deflection off team-mate Vitor Reis and found the net.
Neither side could find a winner before the end of normal time, sending the tie to penalties. City eventually prevailed 4-3 to secure their place in the quarter-finals, despite Kovacic’s miss.