Floyd Samba’s debut double lifts Manchester City to Carabao Cup win over Norwich

Floyd Samba lit up this tie with a debut that will have the 17-year-old grinning for a while after a superb goal in each half ensured Manchester City advanced to face Brighton in the last 16 in their defence of the Carabao Cup.

Samba has an older brother by a year, Tyrone, who is also in the academy. Their father, Christopher, is a former Blackburn and QPR defender.

With a game featuring speed, awareness and a poacher’s eye, he hopes to make a case for regular first-team game time. Given the elite-level forward competition this will be tough, but tonight was a fine calling card.

Samba said: “A debut like that is mind blowing. I couldn’t believe it – that’s just the beginning, I’ve got a big career ahead of me.”

For Enzo Maresca, a sixth successive win maintains a 100% record for his nascent project (barring the Community Shield) and points to how the manager is shrugging off doubts about succeeding Pep Guardiola.

Of Samba, he said: “Satisfying for the two goals, the entire performance he was good. He didn’t play [before] as a 9, we tried in the last two or three days. He is very good at finishing so it was a very good game for him. He is not a 9 for sure but he was good.”

Ryan McAidoo (left) congratulates Floyd Samba after he scored Manchester City’s fourth goal against Norwich. Photograph: Nigel French /Apl/Sportsphoto

City host Sunderland here on Sunday. Defeat Régis Le Bris’ side and Maresca will enjoy his three-week international break. You would not bet against them doing so – City are improving with each outing, as they did against Norwich.

Many opponents are blown away at the Etihad, so for the 14th-placed Championship side to initially tap the ball about was impressive.

Maresca’s formation was fluid and reaped a first dividend when Nico O’Reilly’s cross was fumbled by the visiting goalkeeper, Daniel Grimshaw. The ball dropped to Allan and he delivered it back across for Samba to cutely head home.

City doubled their lead when Samba laid the ball off to Ayyoub Bouaddi, the midfielder hit the ball to Rayan Cherki and, as Grimshaw advanced, he beat the keeper to his right.

Watching from the touchline, Philippe Clement hoped his side were not about to crumble as the first half neared its end. He was relieved when Samba, running in, was thwarted by a Grimshaw dive at his feet.

Yet his men ended the period chasing City: an exhausting task that showed the control the hosts exerted. In a sparsely attended tie, this was precisely what Maresca wished – it meant that his main man, Cherki could be rested, as Ryan McAidoo replaced him for the second half.

Soon, Allan joined Samba in registering on his City bow. From the left, the Brazilian zigzagged in, beat Sam Field once, cut back to beat him again, then found the far corner with a lethal strike.

Maresca will have been displeased after the restart to see a Norwich raid that swooped down the left and had the ball bouncing to Kellen Fisher in the area, but the right-back missed the target.

Fisher’s profligacy was punished when Samba made himself a cert for the player-of-the-match award with a second. He collected the ball inside Norwich’s area and shaped a sweet finish into the far right corner, the helpless Grimshaw watching it sail by.

Maresca was delighted with this and also the wider picture of how his side executed the gameplan. With each win he oversees, the Italian’s authority and stature grow, his appointment appearing ever shrewder.

The game’s closing stages were lit up by McAidoo’s sharp finish: an apt end to an impressive City victory.

Clement said: “After 20 minutes Manchester City started to get a bit annoyed because they could not create anything but then you get the first goal against and we need to defend better. In the second half we were more dangerous – I saw several good individual performances, but it is hard to take – six shots on target, five goals.”