Manchester City’s squad players shine in five-goal Carabao Cup win over Norwich

Manchester City began their title defence in emphatic fashion by beating Norwich City 5-0 in the third round of the Carabao Cup, with several substitutes and young players making the most of their opportunity.

The result sets up a last-16 meeting with Brighton, which is scheduled to take place towards the end of October. It also underlined the depth available to manager Enzo Maresca, whose much-changed side maintained Manchester City’s control and attacking threat throughout.

Maresca made wholesale changes for the match, selecting a team containing a number of younger players and squad members. The approach did not alter Manchester City’s style, however, as they dominated possession from the opening minutes and confined Norwich City to a deep defensive position.

Manchester City had 72% possession as they circulated the ball around the edge of the final third. Norwich City defenders Harry Darling and Bruno Alves dealt with numerous crosses, but struggled to contain the movement of Ryan Cherki, who frequently dropped into a false-nine position.

Cherki helped connect the midfield, where Mateo Kovacic played a central role, and created extra numbers in advanced areas. At the other end, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis prevented Norwich City from making any meaningful progress when they attempted to leave their defensive shape.

The opening goal arrived in the 29th minute. Floyd Samba found space inside the area after an intricate move and finished with a powerful shot to give Manchester City the lead.

Three minutes later, Cherki doubled the advantage by converting the hosts’ sustained pressure. Manchester City reached half-time 2-0 ahead, having enjoyed 70% possession in a one-sided opening period.

Maresca made his first substitution at the interval, replacing Cherki with Ryan McAidoo. Norwich City also tried to change the direction of the game, bringing on Paris Magoma for Baba Amadou Diallo, but Manchester City increased their advantage soon afterwards.

Ayoub Bouaddi supplied a pass behind the defence in the 48th minute, allowing Alan to run through and score. The goal made it 3-0 and completed Alan’s second goal of the match, while also marking a memorable first appearance for the club. The performance further highlighted the significance of the 30 million euros spent on the player.

Floyd Samba added his second goal in the 54th minute. Rayan Ait-Nouri created the opening with excellent work on the left before delivering a precise cross, which Samba converted to make it 4-0.

Norwich City were unable to respond as Manchester City kept a clean sheet and continued to give their less-established players valuable exposure.

The scoring was completed in the 90th minute by substitute McAidoo. After a collective move, Manchester City worked the ball down the right and delivered another accurate cross. McAidoo met it with a firm finish to make the final score 5-0.