Manchester City produced a ruthless display of attacking football on Saturday, crushing League One side Exeter City 10-1 to storm into the FA Cup fourth round.
Despite manager Pep Guardiola serving a touchline ban and watching from the stands, the Premier League champions dismantled their opponents with a blend of established stars and debutant brilliance at the Etihad Stadium.
Okay News reports that the visitors’ afternoon turned into a nightmare early on, with Exeter becoming the first team since 2023 to concede two own goals in an FA Cup match; Jake Doyle-Hayes and Jack Fitzwater both turned the ball into their own net in the first half. These errors came after defender Max Alleyne had opened his account for City, and captain-for-the-day Rodri continued his comeback from injury with a stunning strike.
The spotlight, however, was on Antoine Semenyo, City’s new £65m signing from Bournemouth. The forward enjoyed a dream start, becoming the first player since Sergio Agüero in 2011 to score and assist on his debut for the club, capping his performance with a fine low finish.
The goals continued to flow in the second half. Rico Lewis bagged a brace, netting once in regular time and adding the tenth in stoppage time. Tijjani Reijnders scored a curling beauty, Nico O’Reilly headed home, and teenager Ryan McAidoo marked his own debut with a thunderous 20-yard strike. George Birch scored a late consolation for Exeter, but it did little to stop City from recording their 16th consecutive home victory in the competition.
