Manchester City kicked off their FA Cup campaign in ruthless fashion with a scarcely believable 10-1 demolition of Exeter City in the third round at the Etihad Stadium, putting aside recent league frustrations in emphatic style,Softfootball reports.
Coming into the tie off the back of a disappointing 1-1 Premier League draw against Brighton & Hove Albion that saw them drop ground in the title race, Pep Guardiola’s side took out their frustration on League One opposition in a one-sided contest. New signing Antoine Semenyo enjoyed a dream debut, registering a goal and an assist, while youngster Max Alleyne marked his first start with his maiden goal for the club.
In the first-ever meeting between the two sides, Exeter almost produced a fairy-tale start. Ed Turns rose highest from a set-piece inside five minutes, but City’s cup goalkeeper James Trafford reacted sharply to keep his header out. That scare briefly jolted the hosts into life.
City soon asserted control, opening the scoring seven minutes later when Alleyne bundled the ball home from close range following a goalmouth scramble. The teenager, who had only made his senior debut in Wednesday’s league draw with Brighton, showed impressive composure to get City up and running.
Guardiola’s men continued to dominate possession and territory, and their second arrived on 24 minutes when Rodri unleashed a powerful long-range strike beyond Joe Whitworth. From there, the floodgates truly opened. Exeter endured a nightmare end to the first half as Jake Doyle-Hayes and Jack Fitzwater each turned the ball into their own net within a five-minute spell, sending City into the break with a commanding advantage.
The second half followed the same pattern. Semenyo, who completed a four-year deal earlier this week after joining from Bournemouth, capped a whirlwind few days by setting up Rico Lewis for City’s fifth goal before calmly scoring his first goal for the club himself on 54 minutes.
A raft of substitutions allowed Guardiola to hand debuts to academy products Stephen Mfuni and Ryan McAidoo, as City’s youngsters joined in the fun. Tijjani Reijnders continued his fine goalscoring form after recent strikes against Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, finding the net again on 71 minutes to make it 7-0.
City showed no mercy in the closing stages, adding further gloss as Nico O’Reilly and McAidoo struck during an outrageous seven-minute spell. Exeter eventually found a moment of consolation when substitute George Birch pulled one back for Gary Caldwell’s side, drawing warm applause from the travelling supporters after a punishing afternoon.
After the game, Manchester city shared in a post match image via its official X handle that the game ended 10-1. They posted:
It ends 10-1 to City!
Any hopes of a subdued ending were quickly dashed, though, as Lewis restored City’s nine-goal cushion with his second of the match, rounding off a remarkable FA Cup performance.
For City, it was the perfect response to their recent league setback and another reminder of their depth and attacking firepower, while Exeter were left to reflect on a bruising but historic day against one of English football’s modern giants.
