City Run Riot as Exeter Are Blown Away at the Etihad

Manchester City wasted no time in stamping their authority on this FA Cup third round tie, tearing Exeter City apart with a relentless attacking display that underlined the gulf in class between the two sides. Pep Guardiola’s men were sharp, clinical and unforgiving, turning what was meant to be a proud occasion for the League One visitors into a humbling evening in Manchester.

The breakthrough arrived in the 12th minute when Max Alleyne reacted quickest to a defensive mix-up, poking home from close range to settle any early nerves inside the Etihad. Exeter had threatened briefly from a corner earlier on, but that moment proved to be the high point of their night.

Rodri doubled City’s advantage in the 24th minute with a thunderous long-range strike that flew into the bottom corner, a goal that summed up the confidence flowing through the hosts. From there, the floodgates opened. Jake Doyle-Hayes turned the ball into his own net from a corner in the 42nd minute before Jack Fitzwater followed suit in stoppage time, leaving Exeter 4-0 down at the break and clinging on for damage limitation.

Any hopes of a second-half response were extinguished almost immediately. Rico Lewis made it five in the 49th minute, finishing off a flowing move after a clever delivery from debutant Antoine Semenyo. The Ghana international then marked his first start in City colours with a goal of his own five minutes later, racing through the Exeter defence before calmly slotting past Joe Whitworth.

With City in complete control, the goals continued to rain down. Tijjani Reijnders curled in a superb effort from distance to make it seven, before Nico O’Reilly glanced home a header for the eighth as the home crowd sensed history. Ryan McAidoo, another debutant, added the ninth with a powerful low strike, capping an impressive personal display.

Exeter were at least given a moment to remember late on when George Birch intercepted a loose pass and fired a stunning strike into the top corner to make it 9-1, sparking wild celebrations among the travelling support. Any brief respite was short-lived, however, as Rico Lewis struck again in stoppage time to complete the scoring and seal a staggering 10-1 win.

The statistics told the story of City’s dominance. The hosts registered 21 shots, 10 of them on target, and posted an xG of 2.17, while Exeter managed just seven efforts and an xG of 0.62. Guardiola’s side barely broke stride as they marched into the fourth round, while Gary Caldwell’s men exited the competition bruised but wiser after a brutal lesson at one of Europe’s toughest grounds.