Manchester City strolled into the fourth round of the FA Cup when James McAtee scored a hat-trick in an 8-0 thrashing of League Two side Salford City at the Etihad Stadium.
Jeremy Doku scored two goals as Jack Grealish ended his long drought and youngsters Divin Mubama and Nico O'Reilly also struck in a one-sided encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
It was a brutal exhibition of a much-changed city, with fans reveling in the thrashing meted out to the visitors of the 'Class of 92'.
An evening to forget for Marcel in the house of his rivals
Gary Neville, one of that group of famous former Manchester United players, was taunted mercilessly as the goals flew in.
The England full-back turned pundit and businessman was not actually there to witness the defeat, but colleagues Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes were there to see it unfold in painful detail from the stands.
Ryan Giggs, the sporting director who also plays a role in the backroom, was also close on a technical level as the biggest game in Salford's history quickly turned sour.
City made nine changes to the side that overwhelmed West Ham last weekend, taking the opportunity to hand a debut to 20-year-old Mubama and further experience to 19-year-old O'Reilly and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey.
Simpson-Pusey, along with the experienced Nathan Aké, was one of only two specialist defenders in the squad, but with a bench full of quality, Pep Guardiola had plenty of security if something went wrong.
Yet Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden only had to watch as City quickly took control.
The hosts took the lead after just eight minutes when Matheus Nunes seized possession to give the lead to Grealish, who played the ball wide for Doku to fly past Matty Young from a tight angle.
The second came after 20 minutes when Savinho played in Nunes and he pulled back allowing Mubama to slot in for an easy finish.
Salford had chances to respond as City eased the pressure, with Kylian Kouassi shooting at Ederson after a good run and later flicking a shot from Hakeeb Adelakun's excellent cross.
Kevin Berkoe also grabbed an attempt, but City simply shifted through the gears in response.
Doku pushed his way onto the byline and O'Reilly decisively drove in his first senior goal before half-time.
Grealish, without a goal in club football since December 2023, was back on the scoresheet four minutes after half-time.
The England international might have scored from open play after Mubama raced onto a poor backpass to set him up, but he made no mistake from the spot after being felled by Ossama Ashley.
City's fifth came from a flowing move shortly afterwards, as Nunes released Doku and his first cross was deftly headed in by McAtee.
Things soon started to get out of hand for Salford, who were awarded a second penalty when Doku's shot hit the arm of captain Curtis Tilt.
Doku sent Young the wrong way this time, and the keeper was beaten again when substitute Foden's driven ball was well controlled and tucked away by McAtee.
McAtee completed his treble nine minutes from time when he headed home Grealish's cross.
Player of the Match – James McAtee
Man City hat-trick hero James McAtee told the BBC: “I was quite frustrated in the first half and didn't see much of the ball. When the first one went in my confidence had grown and I kept scoring.”
“I've been here since I was 10 and it's a special moment for me. Something I'll remember forever. I don't think I had to prove myself, but to go out and show people what I can do do it, it's a good time for me.”
Guardiola: Big results depend on him
Man Ciy boss Pep Guardiola told the BBC: “Jack [Grealish] also made a good assist, not just the goal. He scored a goal and made an assist. Jack is a special player, who doesn't always score many goals, but it depends on him.
“If he can perform well, he will take the opportunity to continue. All players depend on performance in training and when they have minutes to play. It's simple, not just for Jack, for all of them.”
“I've been manager here for over 500 games and we've played no fewer than 487 or 488 games. Then we had 11, 12 or 13 bad games.
“The problem we've had is that we've had an incredible number of injuries that have prevented us from training and from competing. It's so hard, but step by step people are coming back.
“This season or maybe next season, new players will come in and you have to fight for your position. If someone pushes you, you have competition and you do your best.”
Robinson: A glimpse of what we want to be
Salford boss Karl Robinson told the BBC: 'You always know you are at the mercy of the quality of the competition.
“Man City and Pep have never disrespected anyone and they have shown us why they are what they are and why he is who he is. It's about dusting ourselves off, we have achieved so much in 12 months and to be where we are now.” the competition.
“We have one goal and that is to get out of this competition. This is a glimpse of what we want to become and we know we have so much to improve and we know where we want to be.”
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