Man City Round-Up, Thursday 29th October: Rulli the Shootout Hero as City Reach Carabao Cup Quarter-Finals
There's no women's match report among today's stories, but City's men gave fans plenty to talk about on Wednesday night as a much-changed side beat Brighton 2-2 (4-3 on penalties) to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where they'll now face Bradford City (ManCity.com) (ManCity.com). The game finished level after normal time before Gerónimo Rulli stepped up with two crucial penalty saves to send City through, and the keeper was quick to praise the Etihad crowd afterwards, saying the fans were key to the shootout win (ManCity.com). It was fitting given the occasion drew a record Etihad attendance for a domestic cup tie (ManCity.com).
Enzo Maresca was full of praise for Rulli's heroics but moved to reassure everyone that Gianluigi Donnarumma remains his first-choice goalkeeper, with BBC Sport noting Maresca's view that Rulli "knows his role" as understudy (BBC Sport) (Sports Mole). The manager also hailed Rulli's impact on the night more generally (ManCity.com), while Manchester Evening News reported on the specifics of Maresca's comments about his two keepers following the save-of-the-night display (Manchester Evening News). The Sun had a closer look at Rulli himself, dubbing the 34-year-old a well-travelled "journeyman" who has previously won the World Cup and famously denied Manchester United a trophy in his career (The Sun). Elsewhere, Manchester Evening News revealed what Rulli told Enzo Fernández in the build-up to his heroics (Manchester Evening News), and BBC Sport spoke to a City fan who was full of admiration for City's latest cup goalkeeping hero (BBC Sport).
Beyond the goalkeeping drama, Maresca said his much-changed XI were "all ready" for the opportunity after City's Arsenal defeat, as players who have had limited game time stepped up in the cup (Manchester Evening News). Rayan Cherki was another big talking point, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring his spot-kick in the shootout, with Manchester Evening News suggesting City and Maresca are seeing a new side to the Frenchman (Manchester Evening News). Looking ahead, Maresca has already turned his attention to Saturday's Premier League visit of Brighton, warning that the Seagulls will provide another tough test so soon after the cup tie (ManCity.com), with Sports Mole also previewing that weekend fixture (Sports Mole). On the injury front, Manchester Evening News had news and possible return dates following the Brighton win, with the likes of Ndiaye, Nunes and Semenyo mentioned (Manchester Evening News).
Away from matters on the pitch, Football365 reported claims that a "single-season" points deduction of around 50 points is being described as "increasingly likely" for City as part of a three-pronged punishment following the club's guilty verdict, though this remains a reported claim rather than confirmed outcome (Football365). On the transfer front, reports continue to link Rayan Ait-Nouri with a January move to Manchester United, with TeamTalk and Football365 both covering fresh talks and a verdict from City on the saga (TeamTalk) (Football365). Elsewhere, TeamTalk reported City are considered favourites to sign Borussia Dortmund teenage winger Mathis Albert after a formal approach, though Chelsea are also said to be keen (TeamTalk).
In other news, former City captain Vincent Kompany has been discharged from hospital and continues his recovery after collapsing at Bayern Munich's training ground last Friday, according to Manchester Evening News - he'll be in all City fans' thoughts (Manchester Evening News). Manchester Evening News also carried a look back with Carlos Tevez, who explained his reasons for leaving Manchester United for City (Manchester Evening News).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.