Manchester City faced a difficult opening 45 minutes against Brighton in their Carabao Cup fourth-round encounter, with both teams heading into the interval level at 1-1.

According to a report by Flashscore on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mateo Kovacic rescued City with a spectacular 40th-minute strike after Malick Yalcouye had given Brighton the lead.

Despite creating opportunities to take control of the contest, Pep Guardiola’s side struggled to establish defensive stability and maintain consistent attacking pressure. Four City players particularly endured frustrating first-half performances.

1. Rico Lewis

Rico Lewis struggled to make a meaningful impact as Manchester City attempted to establish control of the game. His involvement in the 24th minute attracted attention when he went down inside Brighton’s penalty area following contact with an opposing player.

However, the referee decided against awarding a penalty, allowing play to continue. Although Lewis was not necessarily at fault for the decision, he failed to produce a significant contribution that could have helped City gain an advantage before half-time.

2. Rayan Cherki

Rayan Cherki showed glimpses of his attacking quality but could not turn his promising moments into a goal.

The Frenchman created an opportunity in the seventh minute after skilfully moving past Brighton defenders before sending a low effort towards the middle of the goal. However, goalkeeper Jason Steele reacted well to keep the attempt out.

Cherki had another opportunity six minutes later when he attempted to threaten from a free kick outside the penalty area, but his effort was blocked by Brighton’s defensive wall.

Although he showed creativity going forward, the attacker struggled to provide the decisive contribution City needed.

3. Allan Elias

Allan Elias also endured a difficult opening half, with his lack of composure in a defensive challenge disrupting City’s organisation.

In the 38th minute, the midfielder committed an aggressive tackle that prompted referee Andy Madley to award Brighton a free kick.

The mistimed challenge handed Brighton an opportunity to advance and highlighted the need for greater discipline from the City player. Although there is no direct indication that he was responsible for Yalcouye’s opening goal, Elias needed to be more careful with his defensive challenges.

4. Ayyoub Bouaddi

Ayyoub Bouaddi struggled to impose himself during the first half and found himself under disciplinary pressure after receiving a yellow card in the 32nd minute.

The midfielder was unhappy with the referee’s decision, but the booking meant he had to be particularly cautious for the remainder of the match.

With Brighton continuing to compete aggressively and the score tied at the break, Bouaddi needed to manage his challenges carefully to avoid receiving another booking and leaving his team with a numerical disadvantage.