Man City ran riot against League Two side Salford
Image credit: OneFootball
Manchester City delivered a commanding performance on January 11, 2025, overwhelming Salford City with an 8-0 victory in the FA Cup third round at the Etihad Stadium.
The match showcased the depth of City’s squad, with both seasoned players and emerging talents contributing significantly.
Jeremy Doku initiated the scoring in the 8th minute, setting the tone for the encounter. Divin Mubama, making his senior debut, doubled the lead shortly thereafter.
Nico O’Reilly added a third goal before halftime, giving City a comfortable 3-0 advantage at the break.
Early in the second half, Jack Grealish, who had been under scrutiny for a goal drought, earned and converted a penalty, marking his first goal since 2023.
James McAtee then took center stage, achieving a hat-trick within a 20-minute span, demonstrating his potential as a future star for the club. Doku concluded the scoring with another penalty, bringing the final tally to 8-0.
This victory was particularly notable given Salford City’s connections to Manchester United, with several of their owners—Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Nicky Butt—present in the stands.
Their team, however, was unable to mount any significant challenge against the Premier League champions.
Guardiola’s Reaction
Pep Guardiola shared his thoughts on the team’s performance and individual contributions.
Guardiola praised Jack Grealish, who ended a lengthy goal drought by scoring a penalty and providing an assist. He remarked,
Jack made a good assist as well, not just the goal. He scored a goal, made an assist. Jack’s a special player, not always one to score a lot of goals but it depends on him.
Guardiola emphasized that all players’ opportunities are tied to their performances:
If he can perform well, he’ll take the opportunity to keep going and going. All the players depend on the performance in training sessions and when they have minutes to play. It’s simple, not just for Jack, for all of them.
Regarding the team’s overall form, Guardiola noted the challenges posed by injuries but expressed optimism:
The problem that we’ve had is that we’ve had an incredible amount of injuries so we could not train and we could not compete. It’s so difficult but step by step, people are coming back.
He also highlighted the importance of internal competition:
This season or maybe next season, new players come in and you have to fight for your position. When someone pushes you, you have competition and you give your best.
Additionally, Guardiola confirmed that club captain Kyle Walker has expressed a desire to leave Manchester City to explore opportunities abroad.
Manchester City’s dominant display not only secured their progression to the FA Cup fourth round but also highlighted the promising talent within their ranks, suggesting a bright future ahead.