Manchester City welcomed Wycombe Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to secure a win and book a spot in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The Mancunian giants made a poor start to the game as they conceded the opening goal in the 22nd minute when Brandon Hanlan found the back of the net for Wycombe. However, their lead lasted only seven minutes as Kevin De Bruyne netted the equalizer for his team with a clinical strike. Riyad Mahrez gave Man City the lead in the 43rd minute with a lovely finish before Phil Foden made it 3-1 in favour of the home side just before the half-time break.
Man City grew stronger in the second half as Ferran Torres scored their fourth goal in the 71st minute. Mahrez got another goal to his name just 12 minutes later before Cole Palmer came off the bench to score with an exquisite finish as the contest finished 6-1 in favour of Pep Guardiola’s men.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City player performed during the clash against Wycombe Wanderers.
GK: Zack Steffen – 7/10
The talented keeper made a few solid saves at the back but will be disappointed after conceding a goal in the first half.
RB: Conrad Egan-Riley – 7/10
Egan-Riley was strong in the air and created a couple of decent chances in the Wycombe half.
CB: Luke Mbete – 7/10
Mbete kept a good defensive shape at the back for most of the game and ended the game with an assist to his name.
CB: Finley Burns – 6.5/10
He cleared the danger many times on the defensive end of the field and did enough to restrict the opposition to just one goal.
LB: Joshua Wilson-Esbrand – 6.5/10
Wilson-Esbrand tried his best to keep things tidy inside his half and deserves credit for picking up an assist during the game.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 9/10
The Belgian international created all sorts of problems for the Wycombe defenders throughout the 90 minutes. He scored Man City’s equalizer in the first half and managed to engineer some good openings in the final third.
CM: Phil Foden – 9.5/10
The England international ran the show in the opponent’s half. He managed to score a goal and pick up two assists as well.
CM: Romeo Lavia – 7/10
He anchored the midfield quite well but struggled to make an impact in the final third.
RW: Riyad Mahrez – 10/10
The Algerian hit the crossbar early in the game but kept pushing himself and scored a goal in each half. He even ended up securing an assist and deserves to be named the man of the match.
ST: Ferran Torres – 8/10
The Spaniard was a constant menace inside the Wycombe penalty area and has got a goal to show for his efforts.
LW: Raheem Sterling – 7/10
He couldn’t take any of his chances in the final third but deserves credit for earning an assist tonight.
Substitutes:
CM: Cole Palmer – 7.5/10
Palmer came off the bench and scored Man City’s sixth goal with an excellent finish.
CAM: James Mcatee – 6/10
He got some valuable first-team minutes under his belt.
