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Manchester City entered the fourth round of the FA Cup with a composed, confident win over League Two promotion hopefuls Salford City.
The Premier League champions are in the doldrums for the first time under Pep Guardiola, looking to find themselves out of the title race for the first time ever.
So their resounding 8-0 success over Salford, owned by Manchester United legends Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, was another welcome step on the road to recovery – City’s win never in doubt after Jeremy Doku opened the scoring after just four. minute
How the game unfolded
Heads were scratched when Guardiola announced his much-changed starting lineup with youngster Jahmai Simpson-Pewsey – who surprisingly hadn’t won a game in City colors in his previous five appearances – and Nathan Ake the only two recognized defenders. on the pitch
But modern football has evolved into patterns of play, organized and intense pressing, and fluidity of movement – something that allows cityA host of midfield and forward players do their thing when they get the chance.
It didn’t take long for Mathias Nunes to pinch the ball in from Salford in the heart of midfield, getting ahead of their defence. His simple pass to Jack Grealish created an overload down the left and Belgian winger Doku was on hand to fire into the bottom corner despite the best efforts of young Salford goalkeeper Matthew Young.
A goal on his senior debut – a cup tie that Devin Mbama will never forget! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/f9kMqwv0QB
— 90 Minutes (@90min_Football) January 11, 2025
With 20 minutes on the clock, it was essentially game over. Savinho picked up the ball on the right before driving towards Salford’s penalty area. His lovely pass in behind found the onrushing Nunes, who turned it into the six-yard box for former West Ham academy striker Divine Mubama to score his first City goal.
Kylian Cousin’s jinking run briefly threatened a highlight reel goal for Salford, but after his effort was easily saved by Ederson, City regained a third goal before half-time. This time it was Nico O’Reilly’s turn to score his first goal for the club, sliding the ball into the bottom-right corner after good work from Doku down the left.
Ake was replaced by Manuel Akanji at half-time as Guardiola sought to manage the workload of his defenders, both of whom had recently been injured, and the Spaniard was given more reason to smile when Grealish was brought down inside the area.
The playmaker, without a goal in the game this season, sent Young the wrong way to make it 4-0.
James McAtee, in regular transfer The late gossip column, after more great work on the Doku wing, headed home from close range, five past the hour mark.
Curtis Tilt later converted a penalty after being handled in the area to make it six, before McAtee picked up the mantle again to make it a try and conversion scoreline. He added an eighth before being subbed off, taking his career tally for City from two to five in the space of 90 minutes.
Check out the player ratings from Man City vs Salford here.
It’s fair to say that Jeremy Doku is either electrifying on the wing or completely anonymous. On this particular occasion, the Belgians were absolutely sensational.
Yes, he was coming up against League Two opposition, but the performance will serve as a major confidence booster as City look to get their Premier League and Champions League campaigns back on track.
Doku’s movement was irresistible, on both flanks, and his burst of speed was too much for an overwhelmed Salford defense to cope with. He produced two goals and two assists in 74 minutes, more than claiming to be Guardiola’s first-choice left winger.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly have all been in and around City’s first team for a while, but they haven’t really been able to show their potential.
Devin Mbama has rarely even kicked-up front, with Erling Haaland seemingly happy to take on the heavy workload up front if Pep Guardiola asks.
On this evidence there can be no doubt that City Academy is doing exactly what it needs to do. All four players put in confident performances, with McAtee and O’Reilly particularly shining, and Guardiola may recognize that he may not need to press his aging, injury-plagued players into as many minutes.
McAtee certainly looks ready to compete at the highest level – whether or not he leaves the Etihad remains to be seen – and his hat-trick will be noted by interested parties.
“As much as he sees himself, he will see the competition and he will have to compete himself. Savinho is in a better position than Jack and everything and that’s why I played Savinho.
“Do I want Jack to win the Troubles? Yes, I want it. But I try to be honest with myself about it. You can say it’s unfair. If you think so, that’s fine. But you have to prove it. Have to and say, ‘OK, I’m going to fight with Savinho, every single day, every week and every month I deserve to play in that position.’
Those were Pep Guardiola’s words after City’s 4-1 result Premier League Win over West Ham United – A clear message to Jack Grealish that to earn a regular place in the side, he needs to step things up.
A late-afternoon outing against Salford may not have convinced Guardiola that Grealish has turned a corner just yet, but he certainly looked comfortable operating in midfield. Usually, the Englishman is seen operating on the flanks, but Doku is likely to nail down the left for a while, opposite the aforementioned Savinho.
Grealish has the flair, touch and craft to play as a number #10 for City and has done more than enough here. Created four chances, grabbed two assists and won a penalty? just what The FA Cup ordered.
