Manchester City continued their perfect start under Enzo Maresca with an emphatic Carabao Cup fourth-round victory over Norwich City, headlined by a stunning debut brace from 17-year-old Floyd Samba that sent the young forward into the last 16 against Brighton.
Samba, whose father Christopher played as a defender for Blackburn and QPR and whose older brother Tyrone is also part of City's academy setup, made an instant impact at the Etihad Stadium. His first goal arrived after Nico O'Reilly's cross was spilled by Norwich goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw, with the loose ball eventually finding Allan, who squared it back for Samba to head home cleverly.
City doubled their advantage soon after when Samba turned provider, laying the ball off to Ayyoub Bouaddi, who fed Rayan Cherki. The Frenchman calmly rounded the advancing Grimshaw and slotted home to make it 2-0.
Norwich, sitting 14th in the Championship, had shown early composure in possession, briefly frustrating the hosts, but City's fluid setup under Maresca eventually took control. Samba almost had a third before halftime but was denied by a smart save from Grimshaw at his feet.
With the game well in hand, Maresca opted to rest Cherki for the second half, bringing on Ryan McAidoo. Shortly after the restart, Allan added City's third goal himself, cutting in from the left, beating Sam Field twice with quick footwork before curling a finish into the far corner.
Norwich's best chance of the game came when a swift move down the left set up right-back Kellen Fisher inside the box, but he failed to hit the target. That miss proved costly, as Samba pounced moments later to complete his double, collecting the ball inside the Norwich area and guiding a precise finish into the far corner, leaving Grimshaw with no chance.
The rout was completed late on when substitute McAidoo added a fifth with a sharp finish, capping off a dominant display that saw City convert five of just six shots on target.
Speaking after the match, Samba could barely contain his excitement over his breakthrough performance. "A debut like that is mind blowing," he said. "I couldn't believe it – that's just the beginning, I've got a big career ahead of me."
Maneger Enzo Maresca praised the teenager's all-around game, noting it was the first time Samba had trained specifically as a No. 9 heading into the fixture. "Satisfying for the two goals, the entire performance he was good," Maresca said. "He didn't play [before] as a 9, we tried in the last two or three days. He is very good at finishing so it was a very good game for him. He is not a 9 for sure but he was good."
The win extended Maresca's unbeaten start since taking over from Pep Guardiola to six consecutive victories, excluding the Community Shield, further easing any doubts about his suitability for the role.
Norwich boss Philippe Clement acknowledged his side's second-half improvement despite the heavy scoreline. "After 20 minutes Manchester City started to get a bit annoyed because they could not create anything but then you get the first goal against and we need to defend better," he said. "In the second half we were more dangerous – I saw several good individual performances, but it is hard to take – six shots on target, five goals."
City will next turn their attention to the Premier League, hosting Sunderland this weekend before the international break, aiming to extend their impressive early-season form.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.