Brighton led twice during open play
Malick Yalcouye put Brighton ahead in the 30th minute. Mateo Kovacic responded before half-time with a low shot from outside the penalty area.
Georginio Rutter restored Brighton’s lead shortly after the restart. The visitors continued to threaten, but City stayed in the match and increased their pressure around the penalty area.
Vitor Reis scored his first City goal
Rayan Cherki delivered a low free-kick in the 72nd minute and Vitor Reis redirected it into the net. The goal was Reis’s first for Manchester City and made the score 2-2.
Neither team found a winner before the end of regulation. The tie therefore went directly to penalties, where every kick carried the risk of ending the cup run.
Rulli made two saves after Steele stopped Kovacic
Phil Foden and Pascal Gross scored the first two kicks. Enzo Fernandez and Matt O’Riley then converted, before Jeremy Doku and Maxim De Cuyper made it 3-3. Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele saved Mateo Kovacic’s fourth City penalty.
Rulli immediately stopped Yasin Ayari. Rayan Cherki then scored for City, and Rulli saved Lewis Dunk’s final Brighton kick to complete a 4-3 shoot-out win.
City equalised twice before winning the shoot-out
Brighton’s first goal may have been offside, but VAR was not used at this stage of the competition, so the officials could not review the incident. City equalised before half-time and again through Reis in the 72nd minute.
Jeremy Doku added speed and carried the ball past defenders after coming on. His attacks pushed Brighton back towards their own penalty area before Rulli decided the shoot-out with consecutive saves from Ayari and Dunk.