Manchester City reach League Cup last 16 after 5-0 Norwich win
Floyd Samba scored twice on his Manchester City debut as Enzo Maresca’s side swept Norwich aside 5-0 to reach the last 16 of the League Cup, where they will face Brighton.
The 17-year-old was one of 10 changes from the team that beat 10-man Manchester United in dramatic fashion on Sunday. He took his opportunity emphatically, while new signing Allan Elias also scored on his first appearance after arriving from Palmeiras in a £34m deal.
Samba, the son of former Blackburn and QPR defender Chris Samba, said the evening had surpassed his expectations.
“To have a debut like that is unbelievable. I can’t believe my eyes,” he said. “But it’s only the start. I’ve got a long career ahead of me. It was a great debut.”
Norwich made nine changes of their own as they focus on a promotion challenge in the Championship, but they were overwhelmed even by a heavily rotated City side.
Match highlight
Samba made sure his first senior appearance would be remembered when he opened the scoring. Allan delivered into the area and Norwich goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw failed to deal with the cross, allowing Samba to stoop and head into the net.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, making his first start at the Etihad after a €100m move from Lille, then created City’s second. The midfielder released Rayan Cherki, who raced through and beat the advancing Grimshaw with a composed finish.
Allan had been the quieter arrival amid City’s big spending on Bouaddi, Enzo Fernández, Elliott Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye. He quickly showed why the club brought him in. The Brazilian collected the ball in the 48th minute, drove forward on his own and found the far corner with a fine finish.
Moments later, Samba added his second. Norwich’s defending fell apart and the teenager punished them with a curling shot into the far corner.
City’s night was completed late on by another academy talent, Ryan McAidoo, who scored the fifth goal.
It was a convincing response from a side that had made wholesale changes without losing control of the match. Maresca has now won all six games since succeeding Pep Guardiola, with City maintaining their perfect start across three competitions. The result also gives Samba a memorable first step at senior level and strengthens Maresca’s options as the season continues.
