Manchester City's penalty shoot-out hero: Geronimo Rulli!
Following the greatest upset in the cup's history on Tuesday, when Arsenal were beaten by Fleetwood Town, this contest didn't generate half as much excitement but provided a similar conclusion.
In the shootout, there were fears that City had thrown the game away when Mateo Kovacic had his spot-kick saved, but Geronimo Rulli pulled off two stops - against Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk - to take his side through to the fifth round.
There was very little to cheer about for either side of supporters in a hugely monotonous opening 29 minutes, but it was Brighton & Hove Albion who took the lead through Malick Yalcouye, who scored his third goal of the season.
The attacker latched onto a shot from Georginio Rutter, and from point-blank range, had his strike ricochet off Rulli, leaving the Manchester City 'keeper chanceless of preventing the opener.
City found their stride and warmed to the game after their wake-up call, and equalised shortly before the interval amidst penalty calls when Floyd Samba's advancement struck the hand of Jaouen Hadjam.
Still, Phil Foden collected the loose ball and delivered an inviting pass for Kovacic on the edge of the penalty area - the Croatia international pulling off a remarkable strike that progressively drifted away from Jason Steele for his first conversion in 18 months.
There have been many positives to take from this season for Maresca so far since he succeeded Pep Guardiola, yet one downside has been that there is never much certainty as to whether or not his side will come out for the second period superb or subpar.
After emerging from the tunnel to the heavy tone of Oasis's Bring It On Down , it took Rutter less than two minutes to put Brighton 2-1 up with a wonderful finish on the back of Hadjam's pass from the byline.
What came from sloppy defending opened the door for more poise from Fabian Hurzeler's side, and just seven minutes later the Seagulls came knocking again.
Rutter, flaunting a spring in his step, advanced to the edge of the area and played a clever back-heeled pass to Jack Hinshelwood, who would have surely made it 3-1 if his first touch proved more inviting.
That was one of many chances that came from the former Leeds United forward, and inside a further two minutes, Rutter had a left-footed strike tipped over the bar by Rulli before taking the ball around the Manchester City goalkeeper but failing to convert from a very tight angle.
Manchester City , pushing up the other end, had to try and find answers with the clock ticking, but Rico Lewis' wayward shot summed up a performance that threatened to be thwarted by an excellent Brighton side before Vitor Reis levelled the game for Maresca's side once again, this time in the 72nd minute.
From a free-kick on the edge of the area, Cherki tried to fizz a low shot beyond Jason Steele before it fortunately nicked off Reis' heel to wrong-foot the Brighton goalkeeper and trickle into the net.
With less than 90 seconds of regulation time to play, Mats Wieffer struck the post for Brighton, sparing the blushes of Abdukodir Khusanov, before the penalty shootout ensued.
Here's how we rated the Manchester City players from their 2-2 Carabao Cup defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Starting XI
Geronimo Rulli - 8/10 (POTM)
Wasn't involved much in the opening stages, then made several stops to keep City in the game. Couldn't have done anything about Brighton's opener and made a great save to deny Rutter in the second half. Won the game for City in the penalty shootout.
Nico O'Reilly - 6.5/10
Perhaps the weakest defensively from City's group here, but showed many positives when moving the ball up the pitch. A performance of good and bad.
Marc Guehi - 6.5/10
Looked much calmer here in contrast to against Aston Villa, and put up an impressive performance given his recent struggles.
Vitor Reis - 7.5/10
Very calm in defence. This performance was one that provided evidence that his time away from the club has moulded him into a better defender. A fortunate goal, but one that he will take every time.
Rico Lewis - 6.5/10
Brighton's left side caused so many problems for him here. Like O'Reilly, Lewis was promising moving forward but defensively weak.
Mateo Kovacic - 7.5/10
A brilliant goal to record his first since April last year, wrapping his foot around the ball to plant City's equaliser into the bottom left corner of Verbruggen's net.
Ayyoub Bouaddi - 7/10
Shifted the ball well in midfield and floated about the midfield and defence to cover necessary gaps.
Allan - 6/10
Brought off on the hour, which didn't come as much of a surprise. He was electric against Norwich last month, and just couldn't reach that level here.
Rayan Cherki - 7.5/10
Had plenty of fun out wide and on the inside, and provided several chances throughout this tie. Great assist for Reis, and a positive performance all around.
Phil Foden - 7.5/10
Strong in the middle and created space for Cherki to work into. A great supplement to a positive performance.
Floyd Samba - 6/10
Struggled to get involved at the top of the pitch, and his absence was felt amidst Brighton's more dominant spells in the game. Good experience, which City fans can't complain about.
Rayan Ait-Nouri - 6.5/10
Looked threatening at times and kept switching roles with O'Reilly on the left, which was an exciting tactical approach from Maresca.
Ryan McAidoo - 6.5/10
Not really involved when he came on for Samba in the second half, but some good minutes under Maresca that will contribute to his development.
Jeremy Doku - 7/10
The best substitute appearance from this game for City. Electric as ever but was dealt with quite easily by the strong Brighton defence.
Abdukodir Khusanov - 6/10
Appeared aimless in defence, particularly when giving Brighton the chance to win the entire game with their last-minute corner.
