Enzo Maresca admitted Manchester City did not practice penalties at all this season before beating Brighton & Hove Albion in a League Cup fourth-round shootout on Wednesday.

City goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli made two penalty saves as the League Cup holder won 4-3 in the shootout after twice coming from behind in a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.

Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer, had opted against asking his players to practice penalties in training since his arrival.

City's lack of spot-kick preparation was no problem thanks to reserve keeper Rulli, who denied Brighton's Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk to send City into the last eight.

Mateo Kovacic did miss from the spot, but Phil Foden, Enzo Fernandez, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki were all successful.

"To be honest, since I've been here we never practiced penalties," said Maresca, whose side will host third tier Bradford City for a place in the semifinals.

"We're very happy with the five, even Mateo. It always happens, the one that scored during the 90 minutes, and then misses the penalty."

Kovacic had canceled out Malick Yalcouye's opener for Brighton before halftime.

Georginio Rutter restored the Seagulls' lead after the restart, but Vitor Reis diverted in a Cherki free kick to take the match to a penalty shootout.

"I'm not sure he changed the game, but for sure he made an impact," said Maresca of Belgian winger Doku, who came on as a 61st minute substitute.

"This is the reason why they are there — when they start from the beginning, to try to do their best, and if they go on from the bench, to try to make an impact."

City had suffered its first Premier League defeat this season on Saturday, losing at Aston Villa to end its 100 percent start to the topflight campaign.

It was vital for City to bounce back with a win against Brighton, as it tries to remain positive while awaiting the verdict in its appeal against a guilty verdict over breaches of Premier League financial rules.

If the appeal fails, City could be hit with a massive points deduction that would effectively lead to relegation.

In the midst of a pressure-packed schedule, Maresca had no regrets about his decision to rest Erling Haaland, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol against Brighton.

"I was happy with the way we planned the game, with the rotation, and, especially, I was very, very, very happy with the ones that were playing," he said.

Maresca, who made nine changes, praised Donnarumma's stand-in Rulli for his composed display.

"As well as the penalties, I think overall he was good, especially in the buildup. He also made a good save," he said.

Liverpool beats Chelsea

Also on Wednesday, Liverpool beat Chelsea in another dramatic penalty shootout to reach the League Cup quarterfinals.

In a clash between childhood friends Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso, it was the Liverpool manager who claimed the bragging rights from the last-16 tie at Anfield.

A 1-1 draw in normal time set the stage for the shootout as Chelsea's Morgan Rogers netted from the spot, only for Cody Gakpo to equalize with a penalty of his own just before halftime.

Chelsea's Valentin Barco hit the post in the shootout, before Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas wasted a chance to win it when he blazed over.

Ryan Gravenberch was denied by Chelsea keeper Mike Penders, but Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Emmanuel Emegha's kick to keep Liverpool alive.

After Joe Gomez scored for Liverpool, Blues defender Wesley Fofana miscued into the Kop sending the host through.

It was former Liverpool midfielder Alonso's third defeat in his three visits to Anfield as a manager, following losses with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and Real Madrid in 2025.

In their debut campaigns at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot both reached the League Cup final and Iraola is on course to follow in their footsteps as he prepares to face his former club Bournemouth in the last eight.

"We are really happy. Three wins at home in a row is very important. We were struggling at home in the league, but now we go against Arsenal on Sunday," said Iraola.

Alonso added: "Every time you reach the penalty shootout, someone will feel it is harsh to go out of the competition.

"We were showing a good level and this is what it takes to come to these stadiums. The Premier League is the main focus."

Alonso made just four changes to the Chelsea side that lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham on Saturday, while Iraola made seven changes from Liverpool's 2-0 win against Brighton on Sunday.