MANCHESTER CITY 5, CRYSTAL PALACE 1 (CAPITAL ONE CUP)
Goals by Wilfried Bony, Kevin De Bruyne, Kelechi Iheanacho, Yaya Toure and Manu Garcia
Consolation strike by Damien Delaney for Crystal Palace
Pablo Zabaleta damaged medial knee ligaments in right knee again
Manchester City draw Hull City at home in the next round of the Capital One Cup
Manchester City returned to goalscoring ways after a disciplined defensive performance at Old Trafford on Sunday as they thrashed Crystal Palace 5-1 to progress to the Quarter Finals of the Capital One Cup.
Tribute to the late, great Mike Doyle courtesy of the @1894Group_MCFC looking brilliant! #mcfc #cityvpalace pic.twitter.com/X71yM6om78
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 28, 2015
Kelechi Iheanacho celebrated his first start for Manchester City with his first goal at the Etihad – and his second against Crystal Palace this season – to cap a man-of-the-match performance.
The Nigerian teenager also caught the eye with when he turned provider to unselfishly lay on goals for Kevin De Bruyne, and a first goal on his first Etihad appearance for 17-year old Manu Garcia.
Wilfried Bony is hardly the striker that Sergio Aguero is but paired up with Iheanacho the Ivorian saw at least four presentable chances come his way and managed to score a goal on the night.
Manuel Pellegrini praised the Ivorian’s work and movement in City’s victory.
He said: “It’s important for Bony to score because in the last game he couldn’t get a chance to do it but here he had important movements.
“He scored a goal and had a lot of participation in our play.
“At this moment it’s important to have Kelechi [Iheanacho] and Bony. Sergio is injured so they can play together as they did tonight.
“Kelechi is a young player and in the way he plays is very impressive.
“Bony is quiet but he has the trust of me and his team mates.
“The important thing is we have another option in attack.”
In Iheanacho, however, City fans have more than just another another fast attacking forward who may challenge Bony in the pecking order while Aguero is out injured and the Nigerian also showed his unselfish side in setting up two goals on the night too when he could have taken a shot.
Pellegrini also said that Iheanacho was much more than just a striker, and added: “I think it was very important for him to make a good performance and show us he’s a very good player.
“I don’t have any doubts about him, I see how he works every day. He’s not just a striker as he made assists for two goals.
“Kelechi for me is not a box striker – a finisher – he played very well but he must improve his control because he could do it better but he always plays with his head up which is how he found Kevin De Bruyne and he found Manu Garcia.
“He can play behind the striker and he normally arrives in the box to finish the way he scored tonight.”
The only blot on City’s copybook was a mixed performance for Willy Caballero and a nasty looking knee injury for Pablo Zabaleta who had to be stretchered off early in the second half.
It’s not a classic City game without a Pablo Zabaleta head wound and the Argentine duly obliged after an early clash of heads with Yannick Bolasie which resulted in both players needing heavy bandaging.
Unfortunately, Zabaleta’s evening was over after a second half collision with Wilfried Zaha after 55 minutes and he was stretchered off.
Manuel Pellegrini later confirmed that the luckless Zabaleta had further damaged his medial ligament in his right knee.
He said: “Pablo has the same injury as a month ago – the same ligament and same knee but we will know what it is tomorrow.”
City were generally comfortable at the back despite a change in personnel but Willy Caballero didn’t grasp his chance to depose Joe Hart and was generally poor.
The Argentine custodian spilled a couple of chances by Crystal Palace and had to be rescued by Martin Demichelis and some poor finishing but still conceded a consolation goal against City’s much changed visitors.
City had made six changes from the Manchester derby for the Capital One Cup tie against Crystal Palace on the first time in six years that both Premier League Manchester teams played on the same night.
Cabellero, Demichelis,Zabaleta, Jesus Navas, Eliaquim Mangala, and Iheanacho came into the side.
Joe Hart, Bacary Sagna, Nicolas Otamendi, and Vincent Kompany were named on the bench alongside academy products Brandon Barker, Patrick Roberts and Manuel Garcia while Fernandinho missed out through suspension and Raheem Sterling was given the night off.
Crystal Palace made the same number of changes as Alan Pardew looked to freshen up things after a 1-0 defeat against Leicester City last weekend and with United coming south to visit them on Saturday.
Kevin De Bruyne had a big chance to open the scoring after just two minutes after picking the pocket of Scott Dann and bearing down on goal from the left flank but his shot was wide of the far post. It was just a taste of things to come for City though.
Palace also tested City’s resolve early when Martin Demichelis blocked Joe Ledley’s shot, with Caballero stopping Yannick Bolasie’s follow-up from three yards out.
Ledley went on to miss an open goal with City 2-0 up which might have introduced doubt into City minds just before half time after Cabellero had spilled a cross.
And Martin Demichelis was on hand early in the second half to clear off the line after Caballero had spilled another ball that was meant for Mile Jedinak.
City drew blood first though, and through a straightforward corner routine on 22 minutes.
Aleksandar Kolarov’s inswinger from the left was converted by Wilfried Bony who had delayed his run towards the penalty spot but his flying header beat Wayne Hennessey in the Palace goal.
It was a further confidence boost for the Ivorian as he scored his third goal in his last four starts for City in all competitions.
City doubled their lead on just before half time when Fernando’s long pass released Iheanacho who ran into space and unselfishly cut the ball back from inside the six-yard box to an unmarked Kevin De Bruyne who arrived late to smash the ball past Hennessey.
It was the Belgian’s sixth goal in nine games for City as he comprehensively ran the game for the Blues.
City should have been out of reach by the start of the second half when Fernando, who had a superb game in the City midfield, and Iheanacho combined to tear through the Palace defence, with the Brazilian squaring for Bony only to see the Ivorian spoon the chance over the bar.
That shot was the third of an early hat trick of clear Bony misses with chances spurned after good work by Iheanacho and Kolarov late in the first half.
Undeterred by losing out on those chances the Ivorian tried to turn provider instead, laying on a 58th minute through ball to De Bruyne whose shot was tipped away by Hennessey.
A minute later, De Bruyne collected Jesus Navas’ overhit cross, cut the ball back into the area towards Bony but the Ivorian jumped over the ball and gave Iheanacho behind him time and space to trap the ball and pick his spot for 3-0.
It was the 19-year-old Nigerian’s first goal at the Etihad and his second against Palace this season after his late winner at Selhurst Park in September.
Yaya Toure’s 76th minute penalty for 4-0 made sure of City’s progress into the next round after Eliaquim Mangala was hauled down in the area by Damien Delaney.
A becalmed Palace side finally earned a consolation goal with a minute to go as Delaney made amends for giving away the earlier penalty.
City had ample warning when Joe Ledley’s 88th minute corner was headed down by Scott Dann, but the loose ball was skied by Delaney at the back post with Caballero committed.
Bolasie’s right wing cross was headed past Caballero for 4-1 by Delaney but City simply restored their four goal advantage minutes later deep in injury time.
City broke again and a deflected interception broke for Iheanacho to race clear but he opted for another unselfish pass to Garcia who scored City’s fifth and final goal of the night, capping his home debut with a fine finish swept home past Hennessey.