Geronimo Rulli's penalty shootout heroics may have put pressure on Gianluigi Donnarumma at Manchester City, but manager Enzo Maresca remains confident in his number one. Rulli, who spent the 2016-17 season at City without making a first-team appearance, returned to replace James Trafford after the England international moved to Leeds for £45m. The goalkeeper had previously scored the decisive penalty in the 2021 Europa League final for Villarreal against Manchester United, and his performance against Brighton further endearing him to City supporters.
Along with Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Elliot Anderson, and Josko Gvardiol, Italian Donnarumma has been given three days off to recover energy. Donnarumma was at fault for Aston Villa's second goal last weekend, and Maresca acknowledged he has been making mistakes. Despite this, Maresca stated Rulli was doing well and knows his role as understudy.
In the match, Rulli made one good save and performed well in build-up play, especially considering Brighton's aggressive man-to-man approach. Maresca tried long solutions with Floyd Samba in the first half and on the floor with Phil Foden in the second half.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing