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12 hours ago
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Key events
Manchester City face Brighton in the fourth round and there are cheers around the Etihad as the stadium announcer reminds tonight’s crowd of the Seagulls’ result on the other side of Manchester on Wednesday.
Brighton are obviously a different beast to Norwich, but I wonder if Maresca will adjust his starting XI accordingly or continue to use his academy players in this competition. It would be a shame if Samba and McAidoo don’t continue to get opportunities.
Maresca is all smiles as he greets his City players, with a special smile for Samba.
Fair play to the Norwich fans, who never stopped singing and give a standing ovation to their side, despite the 5-0 scoreline. They face a long journey home to East Anglia.
Full-time: Manchester City 5-0 Norwich City
Floyd Samba: a star is born.
90 min: Two minutes added on here.
GOAL! Manchester City 5-0 Norwich City (McAidoo 90)
O’Reilly gets free on the left. He centres for Lewis, who plays a sensational dummy to completely fool the Norwich defenders, and McAidoo arrives perfectly at the back post to sidefoot a finish into the corner. Three City academy products combining there for a flourishing finish.
87 min: A loose backpass from Khusanov and Touré is nearly onto it, but Rulli springs out of goal quickly to clear the danger. Good goalkeeping from the former Marseille and Villarreal stopper.
85 min: The game is winding down now. Both teams will want to leave here without any injuries. Eyes on the league campaigns.
83 min: Norwich make another change: Schwartau on for Kvistgaarden.
80 min: City have wrestled back a bit of control. O’Reilly feels like a senior player for City now. It’s crazy to think he only really broke into the side a couple of years ago.
78 min: A word for Allan, another of City’s debutants. He wasn’t cheap, coming for £34m from Palmeiras, but there were definitely flickers of quality. Yongwa gave Allan a rough time in the opening minutes but the Brazilian finished with a goal and an assist, despite not playing particularly well. He’ll be happy overall.
76 min: Norwich are definitely finishing the stronger. It is perhaps forgivable when City are 4-0 up, but there isn’t much of the classic control that was always a trademark of the Pep era. I suspect that Maresca will be a little bemused at City’s performance in the last few minutes.
NORWICH GOAL DISALLOWED!
74 min: Musaba releases Touré, just on, and the Norwich forward converts nicely with a bouncing finish past Rulli. Touré is judged to be offside. There’s no VAR tonight, but replays show that the officials made the correct call.
72 min: Both sides make further changes: City’s Allan is replaced by Kaden Braithwaite, another academy product.
For Norwich, Anis Ben Slimane and Bruno Alves come off for Ruairi McConville and Mohamed Toure.
70 min: City again close to a fifth! Lewis gets the byline and rips a heavy cross towards O’Reilly, who can’t divert the cross goalwards despite being six yards out. It was a very awkward ball to deal with, in fairness.
68 min: Samba at the heart of things again, the 17-year-old bumping off tackles and then finding McAidoo with a slide-rule pass. McAidoo closes in on goal and forces a good save out of Grimshaw but Samba – on a hat-trick, remember – cannot get to the rebound!
66 min: Norwich are enjoying their best spell of possession and the away fans are at it again, giving it the “olés”.
Musaba goes close!
64 min: From the corner, Khusanov clears the cross but the ball falls to Norwich sub Musaba, who loses his footing but still gets a shot away, just wide! Rulli was panicking, and dived to his left but wasn’t getting there.
63 min: Norwich win a corner and over in the away end, the Norwich fans give an ironic cheer, celebrating almost as though they have scored a goal. Jacob Wright, who was a City player until joining Norwich last year, gives a little smile as he trots over to take the corner.
62 min: Norwich make a sub: Crnac off, Musaba on.
60 min: “I was going to send you an email asking if Mancheter City were going to be like United and go 2-0 up and lose 3-2 but I won’t bother now!” writes Dave Manby.
Yeah, this one won’t be going to penalties.
58 min: Samba’s two goals have both been full of quality. The first was an instinctive header right into the far corner after Samba picked up a good position in the middle. His second goal was even better, casually stroking a bending shot (with a ridiculous amount of curl) past Grimshaw on the angle, a good 20 yards out. Remember, Samba is normally a midfielder.
56 min: The cameras pan to Christopher Samba, Floyd’s father, in the stands and the former Blackburn Rovers defender is wearing a smile as wide as the Colin Bell Stand, shaking his head in delight and disbelief at his son’s debut. A special moment.
GOAL! Manchester City 4-0 Norwich City (Samba 54)
A second goal for the 17-year-old! Absolute scenes! Norwich try to play out from the back but gift possession to Ait Nouri. The Algerian stumbles but gets a pass off to Samba, who takes a touch and bends the ball into the corner from 20 yards. That looked so simple. Or rather, Samba made it look simple. What a talent.
53 min: McAidoo has frightening pace, doesn’t he? The City substitute went past Yongwa – a Cameroon international I should add – like he wasn’t there.
51 min: An opening for Norwich! Yongwa canters forward on the overlap and delivers a fierce low cross across City’s six-yard box. Rulli gets an awkward hand on the cross, but the ball falls to Fisher on the rebound and the right-back fluffs his lines, slicing wildly. That was a real chance for the visitors.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Norwich City (Allan 48)
City immediately get a third! Allan, City’s new £34m signing, makes an instant impact after switching to the left wing, cutting inside Field and then pivoting back onto his left, and arrowing a fine low finish into the far corner. I’m not sure that was elite defending but it was still an excellent goal to go with the Brazilian’s first-half assist.
Peeeeeeeep!
Both sides make half-time changes:
City bring on McAidoo for Cherki, which seems sensible. That means Allan moves to the left flank, McAidooto the right wing, and O’Reilly has moved from left-back to No 10, where Cherki was. Ait Nouri, who was playing left wing, goes to left-back. Phew. Got that?
In simpler Norwich developments, Diallo has come off for Maghoma on the left wing.
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Half-time reading:
Half-time: Manchester City 2-0 Norwich City
What a 45 minutes for Floyd Samba on debut for Manchester City. The 17-year-old forward has been sensational.
45 min: One minute added on here.
44 min: Cherki has started with the tricks and flicks.
42 min: If the game is looking safe for City in the second half, I wonder if we’ll see the introduction of a couple of other academy products from the bench with McAidoo and Braithwaite.
40 min: A deft flick from Cherki releases Samba, but Bruno Alves did well to slide in and stop the shot.
39 min: Not just because of his assist for Cherki, but Bouaddi is quietly beginning to assert himself in central midfield with his passes, breaking the lines.
37 min: Samba, who also played a key part in City’s second goal, finds another pocket of space on the left of Norwich’s box, but blazes an effort high and wide. The 17-year-old looks a real player, though. There is definitely a spot as Haaland’s understudy going at study. City have never really replaced that deputy striker role since losing Julián Alvarez in 2024. They do have first-team players than can play there – Semenyo, Ndiaye – but there is definitely an opportunity for an academy player like Samba to make his mark.
34 min: What a shame for Norwich, who had an excellent 28 minutes before that opening City goal. Now it looks a long way back.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Norwich City (Cherki 32)
City are purring now. Samba holds the ball up well, draws a couple of Norwich defenders and pops it around the corner to the onrushing Bouaddi. The Moroccan drives forward and plays a perfectly-timed pass through to Cherki, who breaks the offside trap. Clean through, Cherki takes a couple of touches and finishes low, neatly with his weaker right foot, past Grimshaw.
30 min: Fisher is booked for a nasty challenge on Ait Nouri. The Norwich right back is lucky that the City man doesn’t make much of a fuss because Fisher really snapped into that with full force. That was bordering on wreckless.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Norwich City (Samba 28)
A debut goal for the 17-year-old! What a moment for the young man! O’Reilly dinks a cross to the back post, Norwich keeper Grimshaw flaps at it, but the ball breaks loose. Allan is first to the ball and loops another cross into the middle where Samba nods it home! A brilliant header.
26 min: There are plenty of City players with their hair bleached blonde. We’re not quite at Romania levels, but it’s not the easiest trying to pick each player out.
24 min: Norwich are really holding their own. Sam Field and Jacob Wright are snapping into challenges in the middle are City haven’t yet raised the tempo.
22 min: Samba looks second best to reach a through pass but bursts past Darling and briefly looks like he might have a free shot on goal, before the Norwich defender recovers to get a toe in. Samba showed genuine pace there, he is normally a central midfielder but you can see why he can also be deployed in forward areas. I’m surprised he is only 6ft tall though, his father, former Blackburn defender Christopher Samba, was a man mountain!
19 min: Maresca will be frustrated. Samba has looked the only bright spark in City’s attack. Cherki hasn’t got into the game and the wingers, Allan and Ait Nouri haven’t been at the races. As if to prove the point, Yongwa flattens Allan with a strong tackle and wins a goal kick for his side. Allan hasn’t been near it, physically.
17 min: Good from Kovacic, who tidies up on the half-way line and then drives straight through the middle of Norwich’s midfield – just as Howson did all those years ago for the Canaries here. Kovacic is felled right on the edge of the visitors’ area but referee Ruebyn Ricardo waves play on. Darling got the ball.
15 min: Diallo is now much more incisive. After collecting a diagonal cross-field ball, the Norwich left winger drives at Khusanov and bends a lovely low cross towards the City back post. It’s not close enough to trouble Rulli and too far in front of Kvistgaarden but that was a promising ball. Perhaps if the Norwich striker had gambled a little bit.
12 min: Whisper it, but Norwich are looking quite threatening on the counter-attack. A few times they have broken and City – with their full-backs high up the pitch – have looked a little exposed. Norwich just haven’t picked the right pass when they have got near to City’s box, Diallo wasteful for the visitors on this occasion.
9 min: Nice flick from Samba, who is playing as a false nine, and the debutant releases Lewis, who is through on goal, albeit a little wide. Lewis steadies himself but with Bruno Alves covering for Norwich, the City man curls his shot a yard over the bar.
8 min: Bouaddi loses the ball for City, but Kovacic is there to mop up before flashing the youngster a knowing look.
6 min: Norwich on the counter-attack and Allan works back to stop Yongwa from crossing. The ball comes loose and the Norwich left back crunches the Brazilian in the tackle. Welcome to English football, Allan.
4 min: City enjoying lots of the ball. Allan has made a bright start on the right for City, a left-footer who looks in the ilk of Mahrez/Savinho/etc.
2 min: Norwich have set up in a 4-4-2, defending deep with the idea that they will try to hit City on the break.
Peeeeeeep!
And we’re underway!
“Man City is a tough place to try to survive a knockout match,” emails Peter Oh. “I wonder how the Canaries in the goal mine will fare.”
One does fear for Norwich City’s second string at the Etihad.
Here’s a bit more on Floyd Samba, for those not in the know, courtesy of Manchester City.
The 17-year-old is an exciting, versatile midfielder who joined City at Under-9s. His older brother Tyrone, a striker, is also at City’s academy.
He totalled 24 appearances last season for City’s academy sides across six competitions, and scored 17 and assisted six goals in those matches.
He is an England Under-17 international but is also eligible to represent France and Congo (through his father Christopher Samba) and Germany (through his mother).
He scored this free-kick in City’s 2-1 FA Youth Cup final win over Manchester United. Woof.
Let’s unpack those teams.
City are far from full-strength but this is still an elite team, captained by Kovacic. There are three debutants: Argentina international Gero Rulli (in goal), Brazilian winger Allan (signed for £34m in the summer) and Floyd Samba (academy midfielder and son of former Blackburn defender Christopher).
Norwich make nine changes to the Canaries’ starting XI from their 4-3 defeat at Middlesbrough. NINE! Jacob Wright, who grabbed a goal and an assist off the bench at Boro, is one of the players rewarded with a start.
The teams!
Manchester City: Rulli, Lewis, Khusanov, Vitor Reis, O’Reilly, Bouaddi, Kovacic, Allan, Cherki, Ait Nouri, Floyd Samba.
Subs: Donnarumma, Anderson, Guehi, Ndiaye, Fernandez, Matheus Luiz, Semenyo, McAidoo, Braithwaite.
Norwich: Grimshaw, Fisher, Darling, Bruno Alves, Yongwa, Wright, Field, Crnac, Ben Slimane, Diallo, Kvistgaarden.
Subs: Kovacevic, Stacey, McConville, Chrisene, Mattsson, Maghoma, Schwartau, Musaba, Toure.
Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo (Leicestershire).
Preamble
Recent trips to the Etihad Stadium have been rough for Norwich City fans. There were the 5-0 Premier League drubbings in 2020 and 2021, while City went two better in 2013, scoring seven, with Sergio Agüero, Yaya Touré, David Silva, Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko adding to two own goals from Bradley Johnson and Russell Martin. Just once did Norwich run City close in recent years, in 2015, but an 89th-minute penalty for City saw them run out narrow 2-1 winners.
But that was the league and this is the cup, which means Norwich can dream Carabao-infused dreams, and the Canaries will be channelling the spirit of Jonny Howson tonight.
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City, of course, are the League Cup holders and with the visit of Sunderland on Sunday, they will surely rest some or most of their best tonight. The issue for Norwich is that Maresca’s benchwarmers are still some of the best players in the world, with £85m teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi and £60m recruit Iliman Ndiaye expected to start.
The big question for Norwich and manager Philippe Clement is whether to go for it: the Championship side are reeling from a dramatic 4-3 defeat at Middlesbrough (and the long trip home) and the play-off hopefuls, currently in mid-table, have a crucial home match against Bolton this weekend.
The winner of this tie will face Brighton in the fourth round, which really isn’t ideal for either City or Norwich. The Seagulls’ comeback win at United on Wednesday robbed us of a potential Manchester derby, then, but there is plenty of work for City and Norwich to get through here, before we start looking too far ahead.
Kick-off: 7.30pm BST.
