Manchester City 6, Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Carabao Cup 3rd Round)
Wycombe Wanderers scored through Brandon Hanlan before Manchester City roared back with a deluge of goals to beat the Chairboys in the Carabao Cup.
City’s senior players helped tot up a first half lead, with Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, and Phil Foden’s goals seeing them gain control of the game after a nervous start.
Ferran Torres and Mahrez put the game beyond Wycombe before Cole Palmer scored a fabulous solo goal to make it 6-1.
Depleted City named 6 academy products – including Foden – in the team to face a similarly changed Wycombe Wanderers side.
City named five teenagers from the EDS team, with four of them in defence and another anchoring midfield – all five of the making their senior debuts for City and James McAtee later joined the debutants from the bench along with the relatively experienced Cole Palmer.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut things didn’t go to plan for City after a full but fruitless first 20 minutes.
Hanlan had a tap in to an empty net after Ryan Tafazolli squared the ball to him after City failed to clear the ball from a corner after 22 minutes.
But Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden forced the equaliser through tenacity with the England man feeding his captain with a delicious through ball which the Belgian converted with a far post shot.
Raheem Sterling should have put City into the lead a few minutes later but struck the post after Foden laid the ball off to him, a feat which was repeated by Riyad Mahrez shortly before half time with a fine finish after a cutback by Joshua Wilson-Esbrand.
The Algerian’s short corner was rifled into the top corner through the hands of David Stockdale by Phil Foden just before half time to put City firmly in control of the game.
It took City until the 71st minute to make the game safe, with Ferran Torres finishing off a cross by Foden.
That was the cue for City to put on two more academy products in James McAtee and Cole Palmer.
Two late goals by City put a deserved gloss on the win, with Riyad Mahrez grabbing his second after Raheem Sterling put in an assist. Sterling had a goal ruled out for offside but Palmer had the last word.
The 19-year-old ran half the length of the pitch in the 88th minute and curled the ball past Stockdale to make it 6-1.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 6, Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Carabao Cup 3rd Round)
Zack Steffen: 7. Had some moments in goal marshalling his rookie defence. Saved from Jordan Obita and Sullay Kaikai but was unlucky to be out of his goal when Wycombe scored.
CJ Egan-Riley: 7 . Playing the Kyle Walker role as insurance for the defence but had plenty to do going up the right flank.
Finley Burns: 7. Unenviable task of looking after Adebayo Akinfenwe but was out of position when the ball wasn’t cleared, allowing the visitors to open the scoring. Received coaching from the sidelines from Pep Guardiola between plays and was more confident afterwards.
Luke Mbete: 8. Built like a Premier League player already he was up to the challenge. Found Cole Palmer with a pass from defence for his solo goal.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand: 7. Pushed up high on the left flank as Sterling cut inside, provided a good cut back to Riyad Mahrez to put City back in front.
Romeo Lavia: 7. Brought plenty of mobility to the pivot role, some inventive passing but defensive inexperience showed at times. Was booked for a rare mistake.
Kevin De Bruyne: 7. Forced a save from David Stockdale from the left and netted the equaliser after Phil Foden had created a great chance through tenacity. Range of passing continued in the second half and he also gave David Stockdale a good workout.
Phil Foden: 9. Constantly bursting forwards and gliding past players – set up Kevin De Bruyne for the equaliser and should have seen another one converted by Raheem Sterling as he ran the City midfield. Foden scored a screamer in first half injury time and could have had another with a header in the second half and kept testing David Stockdale.
Raheem Sterling: 7. Still looked out of sorts, failed to connect with a delicious cross from the right by Riyad Mahrez, hit the post and tried to put the ball in from the left a lot without success. But he never stopped running even after a late goal was ruled out early for offside and finally laid on City’s 5th goal.
Ferran Torres: 7. Early shot blocked and header saved as City ramped up the pressure but wasn’t on the spot for a few choice balls into the ’Aguero’ zone.
Riyad Mahrez: 9. Some great passing and control deserved better finishing, laid on chances for Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres. Also hit the post after creating a chance for himself before nailing the chance laid on by Josh Wilson-Esbrand, found Phil Foden for another goal and rounded off with a City’s 5th from a Raheem Sterling cutback.
James McAtee (on for Josh Wilson-Esbrand, 72): 6. Played unfamiliar left back role but was hardly troubled.
Cole Palmer (on for Ferran Torres, 72): 7. Had a go immediately but blazed over. Linked well going forward and showed off some fancy footwork. Scored a pearler after 88 minutes.
GOALS – Manchester City 6, Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Carabao Cup 3rd Round)
Man City 0, Wycombe Wanderers 1: 22. Brandon Hanlan had a tap in to an empty net after Ryan Tafazolli squared the ball to him after City failed to clear the ball from a corner after 22 minutes.
Man City 1, Wycombe Wanderers 1: 29. Kevin De Bruyne went it alone and tucked Phil Foden’s through ball past David Stockdale inside the back post
Man City 2, Wycombe Wanderers 1: 43. Riyad Mahrez hit a first time shot past David Stockdale from 16 yards out after Joshua Wilson-Esbrand showed Raheem Sterling how to cut the ball back from the left.
Man City 3, Wycombe Wanderers 1: 45+1. Phil Foden’s 25 yard rocket from 25 yards following a corner lit up the stadium – David Stockdale couldn’t hold on to it.
Man City 4, Wycombe Wanderers 1: 71. Ferran Torres grabbed a poachers goal from close range after getting on the end of Phil Foden’s left wing cross.
Man City 5, Wycombe Wanderers 1: 83. Riyad Mahrez finished off a stunning goal for City’s fifth after Raheem Sterling cut the ball back to him following a through ball by Kevin De Bruyne.
Man City 6, Wycombe Wanderers 1. 88. Cole Palmer picked up the ball from the halfway line, ran half the length of the pitch before curling the ball left footed past David Stockdale for his first goal for City.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 6, Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Carabao Cup 3rd Round)
Man City: Steffen, Egan-Riley, Burns, Mbete, Wilson-Esbrand (McAtee 72), Lavia, De Bruyne (C), Foden, Sterling, Torres (Palmer 72), Mahrez
Man City subs not used: Carson, Dias, Jesus, Bernado Silva, Cancelo
Booking: Lavia 40 (foul on David Wheeler)
Goals: De Bruyne 29; Mahrez 43, 83; Foden 45+1; Torres 71; Palmer 88
Wycombe Wanderers: Stockdale, McCarthy, Stewart, Tafazolli, Jacobson, Gape (Scowen 75), Wheeler, Obita, Kaikai (Horgan 68), Akinfenwa (C) (Vokes 65), Hanlan
Wycombe Wanderers subs not used: Przybek, Grimmer, Thompson, McCleary
Goal: Hanlan 22
Referee: Robert Jones