Jack Grealish found relief as Manchester City showcased their ruthless edge with an 8-0 demolition of Salford City in the FA Cup third round. After enduring a 13-month goal drought, Grealish ended his streak by converting a penalty, contributing to a match where young talent James McAtee stole the spotlight with a hat-trick.
Despite Pep Guardiola making several changes to his starting line-up, City displayed their familiar dominance against lower-ranked teams. Grealish emerged as a key player in the champions’ quest to reclaim their relentless form, which has defined their success in English football.
This latest victory marks 25 consecutive wins for City against lower-tier opponents since their shocking defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup final, accumulating an astonishing aggregate score of 96-8 during that period. While McAtee garnered attention with his first treble for the club, Grealish’s goal and two assists illustrated that the £100 million player still has much to offer.
The pre-match atmosphere centered around who was present on the sidelines, particularly the sight of Ryan Giggs, sitting alongside manager Karl Robinson as a supposed “director of football.” His presence is likely to have left a sour taste for some fans, overshadowing what should have been a memorable day for Salford, a club that once competed at a much lower level in English football.
Notably, members of the Class of ’92, who often claim that victories in lower leagues mean more than winning treble titles with Manchester United, were absent, with only Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt in the stands. Gary Neville opted for a ski trip while David Beckham chose to stay away despite being in Manchester earlier.
As for City’s performance, the quality of their squad, with some players costing a combined £150 million, far outweighed that of Salford. Just eight minutes into the match, Grealish assisted Jeremy Doku, who found the net to open the scoring for the champions. Doku’s goal was quickly followed by Salford’s downfall as Matheus Nunes set up Divin Mubama for his first goal for the club, essentially sealing the match’s fate.
By half-time, Nico O’Reilly had also registered his first goal for the club. As the second half commenced, Giggs and Robinson were seen deep in conversation on the bench, leaving their strategies unclear at this point.
City continued adding to their tally, with Grealish converting his penalty, the first since December 2023, and McAtee netting from a Doku cross shortly thereafter. As Doku scored another from the spot, the match had descended into a rout, and the crowd began to chant, signaling their satisfaction with City’s performance.
McAtee completed his hat-trick, prompting jubilant scenes at the Etihad as fans celebrated, chanting “City are back” at the final whistle. Grealish’s contribution played a significant role in this commanding return to form for the champions.
Credit: Independent
