Manchester City 8, Salford City 0
There was a hat trick for James McAtee plus goals by Jeremy Doku (x2), Divin Mubama, Jack Grealish, and Nico O’Reilly as City smashed the Ammies in the FA Cup 3rd Round.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 8, Salford City 0
Ederson: 7. Saved from Kylian Kouassi and Jon Taylor to keep a clean sheet.
Matheus Nunes: 8. Rampaged into midfield from right back. Had a hand in City’s first two goals of the day and got back to defend too.
Nathan Ake: 7. Had a header cleared off the line. Very little to trouble him.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey: 7. Confident at the back, made a clearance with little fuss.
Nico O’Reilly: 7. Stationed at left back and showed plenty of energy. Scored a superb goal after raiding down the left flank with Jeremy Doku.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7. Allowed to spray the ball around without much interference and had a late shot blocked. Released Ito go forward after Mateo Kovacic came on.
James McAtee: 9. Rare start but initially didn’t make the most of it in the first half, sloppy passing at times but then came up with a second half hat trick. He found some space further up the pitch and tapped in a first time cross by Jeremy Doku from the right. Confidence renewed – he tried a 25 yard smash and saw it narrowly go over the bar before a neat turn and finish after being set up by Phil Foden and finally completed his hat trick with a stabbed finish after Jack Grealish set him up..
Jack Grealish: 9. Set up the first goal after pushing up from midfield, linked up things from deeper as City pushed up. Earned and scored a penalty. Went to the left flank after Phil Foden came on and his cross set up James McAtee’s hat trick.
Savinho: 7. Back on the right wing and stretched the play effectively, starting the move for the second goal – also did his defensive job. Had a tangle with Curtis Tilt which ended up with the Brazilian sliding into a camera pit.
Jeremy Doku: 9. Terrorised the left flank – scored City’s first goal and set up the third from the left and fifth with a cross from the right flank. Also scored the fourth from the penalty spot after he was brought down.
Divin Mubama: 8. Occupied the Salford defence and evaded his marker to find the space to score his first City goal. Was a pest up front and didn’t give the Salford defenders any rest with his movement.
Manuel Akanji (on for Nathan Ake, 46): 7. Fit right into the City defence. Couple of good clearances.
Phil Foden (on for Savinho, 55): 7. Slotted into midfield where he got stuck in and created more dynamic problems for a tiring Salford side. Set up Jeremy Doku and James McAtee for
Mateo Kovacic (on for Jeremy Doku, 74): 6. On to give midfield more control.
GOALS – Manchester City 8, Salford City 0
Man City 1, Salford City 0: 8. Jeremy Doku’s low finish from 12 yards – in off the post – set the Blues on their way after a driving run by Matheus Nunes who seized a loose pass from the Ammies and delivered the ball to Jack Grealish to set up the Belgian.
Man City 2. Salford City 0: 20. Divin Mubama scored his first City goal from 2 yards out after stabbing home Matheus Nunes’ square pass after Savinho did the hard work down the right flank.
Man City 3, Salford City 0: 43. Nico O’Reilly scored his first senior goal from 6 yards at an acute angle after exchanging passes with Jeremy Doku up the left flank. The Belgian threaded his return pass between two Salford defenders.
Man City 4, Salford City 0: 49. Jack Grealish rifled him a low penalty into the bottom left corner after he was brought down by Kevin Berkoe following an unselfish cutback by Divin Mubama who had drawn the keeper off his line.
Man City 5, Salford City 0: 62. James McAtee finished off a first time cross by Jeremy Doku from the right from 7 yards out.
Man City 6, Salford City 0: 69. Jeremy Doku got himself on the scoresheet after his shot was handled in the box by Curtis Tilt after Phil Foden swept the ball to him on the right. The Belgian coolly rolled him his spot kick into the bottom right corner.
Man City 7, Salford City 0: 72. James McAtee doubled his personal tally when he controlled a strong pass up from Phil Foden before turning and picking his spot from 7 yards out just beyond the reach of Matty Young.
Man City 8, Salford City 0: 81. James McAtee completed his hat trick by stabbing home a left wing cross from Jack Grealish from 10 yards out after City recycled the ball to the left.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 8, Salford City 0
Man City: Ederson, Nunes, Ake (Akanji 46), Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, Gundogan, McAtee, Grealish, Savinho (Foden 55), Doku (Kovacic 74), Mubama
Man City Subs not used: Ortega, Haaland, De Bruyne, Silva, Gvardiol, Lewis
Goals: Doku 8, 69 pen; Mubama 20; O’Reilly 43; Grealish 49 pen; McAtee 62, 72, 81
Salford City: Young, Shepherd, Tilt, Garbutt, Ashley (Watson 58), Mnoga (Taylor 58), Lund (McAleny 70), Fornal, Berkoe, Kouassi (Stockton 70), Adelakun (Wright 87)
Salford City Subs not used: Jones, Chester, Malcolm, Heys
Booked: Shepherd (foul on Jeremy Doku); Tilt 60 (foul on Divin Mubama)
Referee: Josh Smith