Carling Cup - City humbled by Brighton

Eurosport - Thu, 25 Sep 10:09:00 2008

Michel Kuipers' save from Michael Ball landed a huge shock for Brighton as they defeated Manchester City 5-3 on penalties in the Carling Cup.

FOOTBALL Brighton and Hove celebrate against Manchester City Carling Cup 2008 GETTY IMAGES - 0

The League One outfit forced extra-time at the Withdean Stadium after a 1-1 draw and were ahead in the extra period before finally reaching the third round of the competition on spot-kicks - and a home tie against Derby.

Gelson Fernandes had finally taken a chance for wasteful City in the 64th minute from Jo's pass and it looked enough to win it until Glenn Murray slotted an 89th-minute Brighton equaliser.

The shocked looked on when on-loan substitute Joe Anyinsah lashed them ahead five minutes into extra-time but Stephen Ireland's reply 10 minutes later forced the shoot-out.

Excited fans in a record home crowd of 8,729 flooded the pitch at the end after Matt Richards put away the winner from the spot.

But in this classic triumph for poor over rich Brighton's heroes were multiple with Dave Livermore, Tommy Elphick, Glenn Murray and Adam Virgo all scored in the shoot-out before Kuipers' masterful stop.

In their first public appearance since being anointed the "richest club in the world" by the £200million Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover, City sent out six players who started Sunday's 6-0 demolition of Portsmouth.

But they took a long time to impose themselves on the battling League One side, who had won only once at home this season and lost to a Walsall team reduced to nine men before half-time on Saturday.

The nearest thing to a goal in the first half came when Brighton's stand-in captain Steve Thomson, wearing the armband in the absence of injured top scorer Nicky Forster, sliced through the centre of City's defence and drilled his shot against Kasper Schmeichel's left-hand post.

Earlier it had taken 13 minutes for City to muster a shot on goal, with Jo barely testing Kuipers from 25 yards.

The Brazilian striker struggled for long periods, needed treatment after a hefty challenge by Matt Richards and was slow off the mark to a 33rd-minute through-ball which Kuipers came out to collect.

Ball was City's saviour in the 27th minute when the dangerous Thomson burst through onto a low ball which the defender had to hook away.

But City finally got going and Kuipers had to be quick off his line to deny Daniel Sturridge before the visitors wasted a golden chance to go ahead soon afterwards.

Ireland's corner from the right found Richard Dunne rising head and shoulders above all challengers but he steered his header over the crossbar.

Brighton bridged the gap in class with their commitment and work-rate, closing down smartly and preventing any real flow to the City attacks.

City, though, spurned another inviting opening four minutes before the break when Jo set up Pablo Zabaleta to lay off for Johnson but the midfielder's shot skewered wide of the target.

Swiss star Fernandes looked like he had won it when driving in Jo's unselfish assist in the 64th minute and they could have had more but for Kuipers' saves from Jo and Ched Evans before Murray came up with a stunning 89th-minute equaliser after Schmeichel could only parry Thomson's shot.

City had been warned when Schmeichel had to race off his line three minutes earlier to deny Murray.

But they were still strolling five minutes into extra time when Anyinsah fired home in style from 12 yards after great work by fellow substitute Dean Cox.

The loan signing from Preston had the chance to seal it in the first half of extra time, breaking clear only to be overhauled by a desperate Dunne.

And it could have proved costly when Ireland out-fought Elphick and Kuipers to lash home a long ball for a 109th-minute equaliser.

The glory, though, was all Brighton's in the end.

TeamTalk / Eurosport

Comment 41 - 60 of 80

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  1. No excuses. Most of the money was left at home. Bad call by Sparky...

    From Omser, on Thu 25 Sep 9:34AM
  2. Well there you go thats what football should be about David and goliath not about mega bucks thats just hope this is the first of many humiliations for Man City this season Good on yeah brighton for keeping the faith alive in british football ***** gold stars

    From edward.wheeler3@..., on Thu 25 Sep 9:10AM
  3. bleuchat67....yes, congrats to you from a life-long City supporter ( and s/ticket holder ), Brighton had more passion last night so well done. However, a huge injection of money CANNOT and WILL NEVER EVER erase a clubs history, any clubs!, that's absurd. Like you, i have stuck with my team throughout the good and very very bad times. History is ingrained in every seat and every blade of grass on the pitch.

    From mainerdmauler, on Thu 25 Sep 9:07AM
  4. Congratulations to Brighton - Who needs a Millionaire???

    This is what Football is all about - Giant Killing

    From H C, on Thu 25 Sep 8:54AM
  5. muhahahahahahahaha muhahahahahahahaaha muhahahahahahahaaha

    From admire, on Thu 25 Sep 8:06AM
  6. muhahahahahahahahahaha muhahahahahahahahahaha

    From admire, on Thu 25 Sep 8:06AM
  7. the super rams to win 3-1

    From HEATHER, on Thu 25 Sep 8:04AM
  8. theres the first one s=itty arent going to win

    From michael d, on Thu 25 Sep 8:03AM
  9. good to see Chelsea rent boys are still bitter about Moscow.... and the blue scum of Manchester are still jealous and clinging to the hope that all this new money will make them a world force..... more likely to be a world joke

    From Keith, on Thu 25 Sep 8:02AM
  10. I'm a Brighton supporter always have been and always will. The world's richest club versus the world's poorest? Who cares, as with so many previous shocks it once again proves that money can't buy passion. That comes from the grass roots. It comes from a hunger and a desire to win on a damp Wednesday evening in a third rate athletics arena. Good luck to you big clubs - you've been taken over and with that you've sold your history and your club's soul!

    From Mike, on Thu 25 Sep 7:40AM
  11. There are lots of bitter people around... why cant they just accept that City are no better than average? And what sick tw*t reckons Possebon should have broken his neck? All that does is prove the (lack of) intelligence of some of the morons out there who claim to be football fans... In language that you will understand "grow up w*nker". And well done Brighton and to all lower league teams who show they have the ability and passion to beat a Prem team over 120 mins and pens... its no fluke

    From Keith, on Thu 25 Sep 7:30AM
  12. HAHA! Top four cant even beat Brighton. The quality of the smaller team always win in the end. Ain't gonna be the next Chelsea. Rich clubs are succesful, however succesful clubs aren't always rich :D xx

    From Eve, on Thu 25 Sep 7:10AM
  13. what was the man city lineup like.i hope they didnt try the kind of risk wenger tried by using youngsters.

    From franklin b concience, on Thu 25 Sep 6:03AM
  14. man city?ahahahah moron

    From Mohd Sukri, on Thu 25 Sep 4:11AM
  15. "The lottery of a penalty shootout" .. I'm sorry, what??

    The penalty shootout is not a lottery. Picking numbers out of a hat is a lottery.
    The Lottery is a lottery, idiot.

    If your "team" can't score a penalty, tough @#$%.
    England have been knocked out of competitions for years by "lottery" , have they?? hahaha you poor deluded soul... no wonder your team is such cack, you don't even know the game.

    Keep dreaming about the billions... Look were that got Leeds and Newcastle...

    From Charly K, on Thu 25 Sep 2:40AM
  16. i wonder why you are called FERRET.....

    From ian l, on Thu 25 Sep 1:20AM
  17. ian i at least you know a good read when you see one.

    From ferret, on Thu 25 Sep 1:12AM
  18. ref NO 44
    oh dear look in the dictionary you look very silly ..........nugget

    From ian l, on Thu 25 Sep 1:12AM
  19. REF#43,,,GO TO BED YOU ARE BORING ME.....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
    ha vent you got play school in the morning

    From big10, on Thu 25 Sep 1:11AM
  20. cheers mancav66 for your comments. i am a man utd supporter and have been for as long as i can remember. i dont care where someone is from or who they support all i know is i have respect for the game no matter the outcome. ps nigelw i was born in yorkshire

    From ferret, on Thu 25 Sep 1:11AM
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