Manchester City 5 Crystal Palace
1, match report: Kelechi
Iheanacho makes a name for
himself as City run riot
Man City vs Crystal Palace - Teenager is star of
the show as he scores the third and inspires
hosts to comfortable victory
On a night when an interview with Kelechi
Iheanacho in the Manchester City programme was
entitled, ‘Remember My Name,’ it was perhaps not
the best timing for the official team-sheet to spell it
incorrectly with the youngster inspiring his team
into the Capital One Cup quarter-finals.
Crystal Palace certainly know all about the Nigerian
forward, having seen him score a stoppage time
winner at Selhurst Park for City last month, and the
19-year-old was a thorn in their side again as he
inspired Manuel Pellegrini’s team to an all-too-
comfortable fourth round victory at the Etihad.
Iheanacho added a third
Assists for Kevin De Bruyne and Manu Garcia and
clinically finished second-half goal capped an
impressive full debut by the youngster, incorrectly
billed as ‘Iheancho’ on the City team-sheet.
Next time, they will spell his name correctly
because nobody will be forgetting Iheanacho if the
promise he displayed in this game is rewarded by
Pellegrini with a greater involvement in the first-
team.
“Kelechi made a very good performance,” Pellegrini
said. “He is a very good player, but he is not just a
striker.
“He made two assists for two goals. He must
continue working, but we are very happy with him
because I see how he works every day and his
personality.”
De Bruyne scored City's second
Despite the fourth-rounds exits of Chelsea and
Arsenal on Tuesday, Pellegrini insists it is too early
for City to focus on the opportunity opening up in
this competition.
“We are just in quarter-final,” the City manager
said. “Seven other teams also have a chance, but
now must focus on Norwich on Saturday and then
Sevilla, rather than the Capital One Cup.”
With City’s 2014 Capital One Cup triumph proving to
be Pellegrini’s first piece of silverware at the Etihad,
the importance of this competition to the Chilean
was underlined by his team selection against
Palace.
Although Pellegrini made six changes from the team
which started Sunday’s 0-0 draw against
Manchester United at Old Trafford, it was still a
starting XI packed with top-level experience, with
the exception of Iheanacho.
But Palace manager Alan Pardew, who also made
six changes to his team, arrived at the Etihad with
the distinction of ending City’s reign as holders last
season having guided Newcastle to a shock fourth-
round victory 364 days prior to this tie.
It was City who started brighter, however, with
£54m midfielder De Bruyne almost opening the
scoring in the second minute when he broke down
the left before steering an angled shot narrowly
beyond Wayne Hennessey’s far post.
Iheanacho also threatened Palace early on in his
first competitive start, shooting just wide from 20
yards before the visitors twice went close at the
other end.
Yannick Bolasie should have done better when he
headed Wilfried Zaha’s cross over from six yards
on twelve minutes and the winger was also unable
to convert from close range two minutes later after
Joe Ledley’s blocked shot had dropped at his feet
inside the six yard box.
They were two good chances for DR Congo
international and, with City boasting their usual
array of attacking talent, they were also likely to be
costly misses.
And so it proved, with Bony opening the scoring on
22 minutes with a header from 12 yards after
escaping Adrian Mariappa to direct Aleksandar
Kolarov’s corner into the net.
Bony has struggled for form and fitness since his
£25m January arrival from Swansea, with a
summer bout of malaria doing little to help him
settle at the Etihad, but his header was his third goal
in four games and perhaps a sign of his growing
confidence in a City shirt.
Iheanacho, meanwhile, clearly has no confidence
issues judging by his energy and tenacity.
Zabaleta suffered a serious looking injury
His pace was a constant threat and it was his work
down the inside right channel on 44 minutes which
unlocked the door for De Bruyne to make it 2-0 and
put the game beyond Palace.
Having burst to the byline, Iheanacho pulled the ball
back for De Bruyne who took his tally to six goals in
11 games by arriving at the far post to tap home
from close range.
With a home game against United in the Premier
League on Saturday, it appeared that Palace were
ready to sacrifice their cup ambitions in order to
conserve energies for league commitments and City
only had to wait until the 59th minute before
Iheanacho made it 3-0 with a left-foot strike from
De Bruyne’s pass.
The home side, who lost Pablo Zabaleta to a medial
knee ligament injury, then made it 4-0 from the
penalty spot on 75 minutes after Yaya Toure scored
following Damien Delaney’s foul on Eliaquim
Mangala.
Delaney made amends by heading a consolation for
Palace in the 89th minute, but Garcia made it five in
stoppage time to restore City’s four-goal margin.
“It was a disappointing display, we kept turning the
ball over and you can’t do that against a team of
this quality,” Pardew said. “We need a striker to
score and that’s an area of difficulty for us at the
moment.”