Man City wins penalty shootout to advance in English League Cup

Manchester City stayed on course to retain the English League Cup by beating Brighton 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the last 16 on Wednesday. Backup goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli saved Brighton's last two spot kicks in the shootout — from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk — to earn City a spot in the quarterfinals, after the match finished 2-2 in regulation. City avoided the fate that befell fellow Premier League heavyweight Arsenal , which was eliminated by fourth-tier minnow Fleetwood Town in stunning fashion, also after a shootout. In other all-Premier League last-16 matchups, Bournemouth beat Aston Villa 3-0, Crystal Palace won 1-0 at Fulham and Sunderland overcame Brentford 3-2. Liverpool was hosting Chelsea in the late kickoff. Lower-league teams Fleetwood and Bradford already in quarterfinals Third-tier Bradford City — the beaten finalist in 2013 — joined Fleetwood in advancing to the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The draw for the last eight is later Wednesday. On Thursday, Everton hosts Newcastle to wrap up the last 16. ___ Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80 ___ See AP’s full soccer coverage here