Manchester City

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Former Norwich striker Chris Sutton speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live following the 5-0 victory over Norwich: "It was too easy for Manchester City. They barely broke a sweat this evening, it was just a different class to Norwich City and Clement made a lot of changes as he's looking ahead to their game on Sunday.

"Well done to the Norwich support, travelling all that way but not a lot to cheer about. Man City cruise into the next round.

"Just seeing the Norwich City staff and players go over and applaud the magnificent away support, I'm not a body language expert but it's like they rocked up, made a lot of changes, and just expected to be beaten.

"A brilliant moment for Samba. Football is a ruthless game and it's about taking your opportunities when they come along and for these young players they don't come along too often. It's good to see Cherki, O'Reilly give him that assurance, as they should.

"He's arrived, he's still going to have to play the waiting game, and be patient when you play for a club like Manchester City. The demands are on winning. The fans demand trophies. His chances may be few and far between but he's done himself no harm."

Manchester City's Floyd Samba speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "Right before the game yesterday, the day before - I knew there would be an opportunity to get some minutes for the first time with the first team - to get a debut like that is mind blowing. I couldn't believe it myself - but that's just the beginning, I've got a big career ahead of me. It was a great debut.

"I couldn't be happier right now, being my first senior debut, you have to expect everything to go well, the intensity, the level of players, everything goes up and you have to be able to match it and cope with it, and I think I did well with that.

"Coming from the 21's to first-team training, that's a big jump - the sessions are more tiring, you have to run more - they demand more of you and you have to cope with it.

"I spoke to all of them [the first team players], they've all been brilliant with me - before the game, giving me advice - play your game, be you - those words gave me confidence and helped me score those two goals today.

"I can't wait - recover now, rest, the team goes again - training tomorrow and then Sunderland on the weekend - everyone has to be prepared for that."

Hit play above to hear more from Samba or listen on BBC Sounds here

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

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Manchester City, second in the Premier League, at home against a Norwich side 14th in the Championship never seemed like producing a shock result.

The Canaries players and supporters made the long trip over from Norfolk and return home extending their thoroughly miserable recent record against their opponents.

Norwich were heavy underdogs and it proved to be the case, having now lost their past three contests against Manchester City by an aggregate of 19-0, suffering defeat in all five League Cup meetings between the sides.

But it was a satisfying evening for boss Maresca, who made 10 changes to the side that won at rivals Manchester United on Sunday - the sole survivor from that starting XI, Cherki, scoring in the first half.

But the night belonged to academy product Floyd Samba, graduating from City's academy into the senior set-up to score a double on his first senior start - the first an instinctive header but the second a beauty of a finish caressed into the far corner.

Maresca's side faced questions when they began the campaign with a heavy defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield, but they have since recovered by winning six games in a row in all competitions.

They will be aiming to pick up maximum points against Sunderland on Sunday to continue a highly impressive start to Maresca's tenure, before the three-week international break.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Manchester City's performance

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Friday for a selection of your replies.

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Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana believes Abdukodir Khusanov "will be one of the best centre-backs in the world".

The 22-year-old has made 52 appearances since joining from Ligue 1 club Lens in January 2025, while also securing a domestic cup double in his first full season.

Khusanov has already made five appearances in six games under new boss Enzo Maresca, with Manchester City unbeaten so far this season.

"When we bought him, we all knew about his physical attributes," Viana said in an interview on Manchester City's website, external. "We all believed that he could be a really important player for us.

"We didn't think it would be so soon because he was so young and he had only been playing in France for a really short time.

"We have been really, really happy with him. He is still developing and still learning, but I know for sure he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world in the next five or six years."

Khusanov signed a new five-year contract at Etihad Stadium in July, describing the occasion as "a great day for me and my family".

When asked whether there was an opportunity to convince Rodri to stay this summer, Viana replied: "Of course we would have liked to keep him. We were having good and positive conversations with him and his agent.

"But after the World Cup, we had a really honest conversation again and he wanted to move back to his country - and we understood that.

"We should be proud of how we treat our players that have given so much to this club."

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Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca says he expects a "tricky game" against Championship side Norwich City in the Carabao Cup on Thursday evening, and has hinted at rotating his starting XI.

"We prepare all the games trying to win and trying to compete to win the competition," he said. "Then, at the end, we see if we are able to win or not.

"For sure, the game will be a tricky game because the one-off games are the difficult ones. We are going to try to win the game and then we will see."

Maresca confirmed he will hand goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli his first competitive appearance for the club since signing from Marseille in the summer.

"I was doing the same also in Chelsea and Leicester. We are going to give Rulli minutes."

He also hinted that Erling Haaland may be one of his first-team players given a rest after a gruelling week which involved wins in the Champions League at Porto and at Manchester United in the Premier League.

"Erling is one of the players that played 90 minutes back-to-back against Porto and Manchester United. He is not the only one," added Maresca.

"I think we have six or seven players who have played 90, 90. Some of them, not all of them, will probably need some rest."

Listen Maresca in full below or on BBC Sounds

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The draw for the Carabao Cup fourth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties in the order they were drawn.

• Fleetwood Town v Arsenal

• Manchester City/Norwich v Brighton

• Everton v Newcastle

• Sunderland v Brentford

• Liverpool v Chelsea

• Bradford v Peterborough

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Bournemouth v Aston Villa

The matches will be played in the week commencing 26 October.

Noreen Mustapha
BBC Sport

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Carabao Cup third round game against Norwich City at Etihad Stadium (kick-off 19:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca confirmed winger Jeremy Doku "is quite close" to a return from injury, which they "are happy" about.

• On Erling Haaland's controversial goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday: "To talk about one moment after that game when we played for 70, 75 minutes with 10 players is quite poor. I think the performance was unbelievable and I'm pleased.

• He said they are "still waiting for the apology" for a goal United scored against City in 2023 when Marcus Rashford was adjudged to have not been interfering with play: "Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you. Three years ago when I was here happened the exact same against Manchester United. The goal was not a regular goal and no one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that."

• On Phil Foden's red card in the derby: "At half-time he was upset and sad because he knew it was something wrong. After the game he was a bit more relieved and happy. Yesterday he was very good. He knows that the reaction was probably not a good one but it is finished and we move on."

• On the resulting suspension, he added: "It's a big one [blow]. He was doing well with us. He started quite well [before his red card]. Now he is out tomorrow [against Norwich] and for Sunderland and Liverpool. Then he is back again." Maresca is also not sure if they will appeal Foden's red card.

• On possible changes to his line-up: "The ones that are going to play, I'm sure that they are going to play important games, in the Premier League or Champions League. Now it's early season with no injuries or suspended players. In November, December, January and February, with the amount of games, we will need rest. The players that are going to play tomorrow, it's an opportunity for them to get better and better. At some point we need them."

• On the importance of the League Cup to them: "One more competition. We need to compete in all of the competitions. We will try our best and we will see where we finish."

• After saying in the past he prefers to play Premier League teams in the cup competitions, he was asked if he still thinks this way: "Absolutely. They are all tricky games, different games. We need to do our job in the right way and I have no doubt it will be a tricky game for many reasons."

Hear more from Maresca by pressing play above or on BBC Sounds here

Listen to full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live from 19:30 BST on Thursday

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Barcelona are looking at Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane as alternatives to 26-year-old Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez. (Talksport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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Referees' chief Howard Webb has admitted that the video assistant referee (VAR) did not even consider whether Enzo Fernandez was offside for Erling Haaland's controversial winner in Sunday's Manchester derby.

Speaking on the first edition of 'Match Officials Mic'd Up' of the season, Webb said he was "really disappointed" with the error made by the VAR Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus.

Manchester City striker Haaland thought he had scored the only goal of the game at Old Trafford in the 60th minute, but it was disallowed on the field for offside.

A VAR review found Haaland was just onside, and the goal was awarded.

But it immediately became apparent that the video officials had made an error in failing to identify an offside offence by Fernandez, diving at the ball in a central position and interfering with opponents.

"I was really disappointed with this outcome. We all are," said Webb, Premier League refereeing body Pro Ref's chief refereeing officer.

"None more so than the officials themselves. They take a lot of personal pride in what they do and they're obviously hurting now, having fallen short in this situation.

"They'll not be officiating again until after the international break."

One of the questions which many supporters have asked is how the VAR team could possibly reach the conclusion that Fernandez did not commit an offside offence.

The VAR gets super-focused on Haaland," said Webb, who had already been in contact with Manchester United to share the VAR audio and video.

"He establishes he's onside, he thinks that's a good goal.

"He doesn't truly evaluate the full impact of Fernandez's position. He has a look to see if he touches the ball, because then that relates to potentially knocking it to Haaland, who goes on to score.

Read more on the controversial decisions in Sunday's Manchester Derby

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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Enzo Maresca's arrival at Manchester City began with the inevitable comparisons of when David Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013.

The 46-year-old referenced Ferguson and Arsene Wenger in his unveiling news conference, saying clubs "struggled a little bit" after the departures of long-serving managers.

It's almost easy to forget City started this season with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the Community Shield, but the side have bounced back in style with five straight victories, including the Champions League win at Porto.

While the Old Trafford job appeared to be too much for Moyes to handle, lasting only 10 months before being sacked, Maresca seems to be embracing the "challenge" and "privilege" of succeeding Guardiola.

Maresca acknowledged to reporters in pre-season that City's former boss would be referenced on a regular basis, but batted that particular narrative away by asserting "it doesn't put pressure on me".

The former Chelsea and Leicester City manager needed to hit the ground running at Etihad Stadium in order to avoid questions about whether he was the right man for the job having been the only person City targeted to take over.

City made major changes in the squad during the summer and the new-look side begin their Carabao Cup defence against Norwich at the Etihad on Thursday (19:30 BST), followed by hosting Sunderland in the Premier League three days later.

Maresca dispatched rivals United on their own turf, and victory in the next two games will ensure a near-perfect start to his tenure in one of football's toughest jobs.

Read more about Maresca here

The Manchester derby win is a "big feather in Enzo Maresca's cap", says former Premier League striker Chris Sutton.

Manchester City beat Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday, despite going down to 10 men midway through the first half, and the victory has helped prove Maresca's tactical credentials.

"The most damning thing for United was that you always felt City had more control and were carrying more of a threat," Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"Iliman Ndiaye coming on for Rayan Cherki when Cherki went out on the right - I wouldn't say it was a masterstroke but it was an excellent decision because Cherki is a different type of player. Ndiaye is more of a runner, can get them up the pitch and has that threat.

"There was no doubt Manchester City supporters worried about the change from Pep [Guardiola] to Maresca but I think their recruitment has been pretty smart and pretty shrewd and I thought it was a masterclass from them.

"I'm not saying it suited them going down to 10 men, but to play as they did and look the far superior team is a big feather in Maresca's cap."

Host Mark Chapman also suggested Maresca appears more relaxed than he did during his time in charge at Chelsea, and The Observer's Rory Smith believes the Italian must "feel at home".

Smith said: "Maresca lost his job at Chelsea because he told them he'd been speaking to City, which means eight, nine months ago, City knew they wanted him to replace Guardiola. That is a pretty big vote of confidence.

"It means he's probably in a place where he feels wanted and valued and it's a place he knows."

Listen to the full episode of Monday Night Club on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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In the Manchester derby there were two huge calls and, again, VAR somehow managed to get both wrong. Well, the first was at the very least morally wrong as opposed to totally wrong by the letter of the law.

Bruno Fernandes sneakily kicked Phil Foden while the Manchester City man was defenceless on the ground. That should have been a clear yellow card or maybe a red, but the officials back at Stockley Park either ignored it or didn't see it. Out of anger, Foden actioned his knee towards Fernandes' stomach, without catching him in any meaningful way.

The referee saw this as violent conduct after the Manchester United player writhed around in what looked suspiciously like feigned agony. This was precisely the sort of behaviour the new rules are trying to stop. Foden had the common decency not to do this when he was kicked but paid the price for his honesty.

A booking for both would have sufficed, but Fernandes was exonerated while Foden exited. Foden was foolish but not violent and the VAR should have helped the referee.

Fortunately, the football gods were watching over the officials again and presented City with Erling Haaland's winning goal to recalibrate the moral imbalance, but once again VAR managed to get it wrong, as has now been admitted.

Spotting that Haaland was onside was brilliant officiating. I thought he was well offside even after three or four viewings, so well done on that call, lads.

Unfortunately, they managed to miss the glaringly obvious offside in the same move when Enzo Fernandez clearly put Lisandro Martinez off his defending duties. This was a stunning oversight in such a huge moment. No player or former player would fail to see that this was a clear infringement.

For those of us who habitually defend VAR, it was a dark weekend even if they do still get many more right over a season than they get wrong.

As for fairness, happily it won through in the end. United fans may grumble, but going down to 10 men galvanised City.

Bruno's theatricals didn't win the game, they contributed to them losing the derby.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

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Manchester City captain Ruben Dias say Phil Foden needed to be "more controlled and composed" when provoked by Bruno Fernandes in Sunday's Manchester derby.

Foden was sent off for violent conduct after kicking out at Fernandes on the floor after being fouled and kicked himself by the Manchester United skipper.

"In the moment I felt it was a bit harsh because my perception was Bruno kicks Phil and then he has a rushed reaction and maybe kicks him back," Dias said.

"I'm not saying Phil didn't do wrong - obviously he needs to be more controlled and composed in that moment.

"I believe he, more than anyone, is frustrated with what happened. That is why it was my biggest joy to come back in and be able to celebrate for him because I know for sure he was feeling responsible for how much more difficult the game became."

Despite the red card, City showed spirit, dominated the game and won through Erling Haaland's controversial second-half goal.

"I have won many of these derbies but this one goes straight to the top," Dias added.

"It is a very special day. More than the win, it was the belief we held on to straight after the red card.

"It was a moment when you feel the strategy goes away and the game will change completely. But, every single second after that, you start to build belief that you can pull it off because of how everyone stays together and because of how ineffective we were making them offensively.

"It says a lot about the character that we have."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds