English attacking midfielder, Jack Grealish, scored his first goal since December 2023 as Manchester City powered into the FA Cup fourth-round with a comprehensive 8-0 whitewash of lowly Salford at the Etihad Stadium.
The Cityzens were eyeing a third win on the spin in all competitions, following back-to-back victories over Leicester City and West Ham United in the Premier League. Salford on the other hand, went into the game having claimed six consecutive clean sheets in their last six matches.
Jeremy Doku opened the floodgates in the opening 10 minutes, off an assist by Jack Grealish, before further strikes from Divin Mubamba and Nico O’Reilly gave Pep Guardiola’s men a healthy lead going into half-time. It was the duo’s (Mubamba and O’Reilly) first goals for the Cityzens.
Grealish then scored from the penalty spot four minutes into the second half as he broke a 13-month goal drought. Prior to today, the former Aston Villa man had not scored since December 2023.
Then came the James McAtee show – the 22 year-old grabbed a second-half hat-trick to put further gloss on the scoreline, before Doku again rounded off the demolition at the Etihad as the reigning English champions booked a place in the next round.