- Floyd Samba scored twice on his first Manchester City senior start as City beat Norwich City 5-0 in the Carabao Cup
- City set up a League Cup last-16 – fourth-round tie against Brighton, who knocked out Manchester United
- Enzo Maresca made 10 changes from the side that beat Manchester United with 10 men on Sunday, while Norwich made nine changes
Teenage debutant leads City’s cup procession
Floyd Samba had a first senior Manchester City appearance to remember, scoring in both halves as the holders opened the defence of their Carabao Cup crown with a commanding 5-0 win over Championship side Norwich City.
The 17-year-old academy graduate, the son of former Premier League defender Christopher Samba, who played for Blackburn and QPR, was handed his first-team chance by Enzo Maresca and responded with a double that helped City move into the League Cup last 16. Brighton, who knocked Manchester United out on Wednesday, will be their fourth-round opponents.
“To get a debut like that is mind-blowing. I couldn’t believe it myself,” said Samba, the son of former Blackburn and QPR defender Chris Samba.
“But that’s just the beginning, I’ve got a big career ahead of me. It was a great debut.”
A winning start to our League Cup campaign! 🌟
🩵 5-0 🟡 | @okx pic.twitter.com/7SfgDkzbQ3
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 17, 2026
How City broke Norwich down
City did not immediately carve Norwich open, despite the gap between a Manchester City side placed second in the Premier League and a Norwich team sitting 14th in the Championship. Full-back Rico Lewis went close early on, sending a rising effort narrowly over the crossbar, before the hosts took charge with two goals in three minutes.
The breakthrough came when Samba stooped to flick in a header from a cross by fellow debutant Allan Elias, with Norwich goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw failing to deal convincingly with the delivery. City quickly doubled the lead when Ayyoub Bouaddi, making his first Etihad start after a 100 million euro arrival from Lille, released Rayan Cherki, who raced through and steered a composed finish beyond the onrushing Grimshaw.
Cherki had been the only player retained from the starting XI that won the dramatic derby away to Manchester United with 10 men on Sunday, and he marked that continuity with a first-half goal.
Allan and McAidoo add to Norwich’s problems
Allan Elias, making his first outing since a £34 million move from Palmeiras, had supplied the opener and then made his own mark early in the second half. The Brazilian showed sharp footwork, shifted the ball on to his left foot and drilled a low finish into the far corner on 48 minutes.
His arrival had been relatively overshadowed by City’s major moves for Bouaddi, Enzo Fernandez, Elliott Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye, but this display underlined his potential. Moments after Allan’s strike, Samba punished more loose Norwich defending by curling an excellent second goal into the far corner.
Another teenager then completed the scoring late on, with Ryan McAidoo stroking in City’s fifth to round off a dominant night for Maresca’s much-changed side.
| Match detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Competition | Carabao Cup |
| Result | Manchester City 5-0 Norwich City |
| Manchester City goalscorers | Floyd Samba 2, Rayan Cherki, Allan Elias, Ryan McAidoo |
| Key debut details | Floyd Samba scored twice on his first senior start; Allan Elias scored on his first outing; Geronimo Rulli kept a clean sheet on his debut |
| Next League Cup tie | Manchester City will face Brighton in the fourth round – last 16 |
Norwich outclassed despite rotation
Norwich also rotated heavily, making nine changes as their focus remained on trying to win promotion from the Championship. Philippe Clement’s men thought they had a consolation when substitute Mohamed Toure finished neatly past Geronimo Rulli, but the effort was ruled out for offside, preserving a debut clean sheet for the Argentine goalkeeper.
The Canaries’ players and supporters had made the long journey from Norfolk, but the result extended an unhappy recent pattern against City. Norwich have now lost their past three meetings with Manchester City by an aggregate score of 19-0, and they have been beaten in all five League Cup meetings between the clubs.
Maresca’s winning run continues
For Maresca, the match brought further encouragement. The City manager made 10 changes from Sunday’s win at Manchester United, yet his second-string line-up still overwhelmed Norwich and maintained the momentum built after early questions followed a heavy Community Shield defeat by Arsenal.
City have now won six games in a row in all competitions, a run described as six consecutive wins across three competitions in Maresca’s early period as Pep Guardiola’s successor. They will aim to collect maximum points against Sunderland on Sunday before the three-week international break.
