Manchester City are through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after edging Brighton and Hove Albion 4-3 on penalties at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, following a dramatic 2-2 draw through 90 minutes.

The Carabao Cup holders never held the lead during the match — Enzo Maresca's side twice had to dig deep to claw back an equaliser — yet they held their nerve when it mattered most, converting four of their five spot-kicks in the shoot-out.

Brighton strike first

Malick Yalcouye opened the scoring in the 30th minute, capping a sharp Brighton move with a composed finish. There was debate inside the Etihad over whether the midfielder was offside, but with VAR not in operation, the goal stood.

City found their response before half-time when Mateo Kovacic guided a strike inside the post to level matters at 1-1. Yet the hosts struggled for fluency throughout, with Maresca having rested five key players ahead of the weekend's Premier League fixture.

Rutter punishes slow City start to second half

Brighton restored their lead just 90 seconds into the second half. Georginio Rutter applied a first-time finish to Jaouen Hadjam's pull-back to make it 2-1 — a goal that reflected the visitors' superior quality for much of the evening.

As the match opened up in the later stages, City grew ragged. Salvation arrived through a fortunate route: Rayan Cherki's free-kick deflected off Vitor Reis and wrong-footed goalkeeper Jason Steele, drawing the hosts level at 2-2 with time running out. Both sides created chances to settle it in normal time but could not find a winner.

Cherki seals it from the spot

In the shoot-out, stand-in goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli proved decisive — saving penalties from both Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk. Cherki then stepped up to convert the winning penalty and send Manchester City into the last eight.

Brighton, who were arguably the better side across the 90 minutes, will feel aggrieved to exit a competition their manager Fabian Hurzeler had publicly targeted. The two clubs meet again in the Premier League on Saturday, giving Hurzeler an immediate opportunity to respond.