FOOTBALL – MANCHESTER City underlined their squad depth with a commanding 5-0 victory over Norwich City yesterday to book their place in the last 16 of the English League Cup.
Floyd Samba, 17, the son of former Premier League defender Chris, enjoyed a dream debut by scoring City’s first two goals before Rayan Cherki doubled City’s lead soon after.
Despite making several changes to the starting line-up, City dominated from the outset and rarely allowed their Championship opponents an opportunity to settle.
Their reward was a convincing victory that keeps the defending champions on course for another successful title defence.
City will face Brighton in the fourth round, with the last-16 tie scheduled for late October.
The hosts controlled the contest through sustained possession and patient build-up play, repeatedly pushing Norwich deep into their own half.
Cherki played a key role in City’s attacking structure, frequently dropping into midfield to create space and overload the Norwich defence.
The pressure finally told in the 29th minute when Samba broke the deadlock.
After combining effectively with his team-mates, Samba found room inside the penalty area before unleashing a powerful finish beyond the Norwich goalkeeper.
Three minutes later, City doubled their advantage.
Cherki capped another spell of pressure by finding the net in the 32nd minute, giving the home side a comfortable 2-0 lead at half-time.
Norwich attempted to respond after the interval, but City quickly restored their authority.
Ayoub Bouaddi produced an incisive pass behind the Norwich defence in the 48th minute, releasing Allan, who finished calmly to make it 3-0. The goal completed a memorable brace for Allan and further highlighted the quality available beyond City’s established first-team stars.
Samba then added his second of the evening six minutes later.
The winger benefited from excellent work down the left before meeting a well-delivered cross and steering the ball into the net to put City four goals ahead.
With Norwich struggling to contain the hosts, City continued to press for more despite the result being effectively settled.