Manchester City vs Crystal Palace. Carabao Cup Fourth Round.
Etihad StadiumAttendance40,585.
Thursday 29 October 2015 09:35, UK
Kelechi Iheanacho played a starring role as Manchester City cruised into the Capital One Cup quarter-finals with a 5-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The 19-year-old teed up Kevin De Bruyne to tap in City's second late in the first half after Wilfried Bony had headed the hosts ahead after 22 minutes.
Iheanacho then made it 3-0 with a composed finish before Yaya Toure converted from the penalty spot.
Damien Delaney grabbed a late consolation for Palace but it was City who had the final say as Iheanacho turned provider again, setting up 17-year-old Manu Garcia to score the fifth in injury-time.
It was a fine performance from the young Nigerian on his full debut as City ran out comfortable winners at the Etihad.
Both sides made changes from their last Premier League outings, with Iheanacho starting alongside De Bruyne and Bony for City and Patrick Bamford leading the line for Palace.
De Bruyne - who has now scored six club goals in nine games - should have given City the lead after just three minutes when he burst clear into the box but shot wide of the post.
Joe Ledley and Yannick Bolasie then saw efforts blocked at the other end before the hosts went ahead after 22 minutes through a fine header from Bony under pressure on the penalty spot.
The Ivory Coast striker had chances to add to his tally but shot over the bar and then fired at Wayne Hennessey.
They did make it 2-0 just before the break as Iheanacho showed good composure and awareness to slide a pass across goal for De Bruyne to tap in.
Palace should have pulled one back immediately but Ledley blasted over after a cross squirmed out of Willy Caballero's grasp.
Bony missed an even better chance at the start of the second half from 10 yards out before Pablo Zabaleta went off on a stretcher with a suspected knee injury after a clash with Zaha.
The hosts responded to the setback by upping the tempo and claiming a third just before the hour as De Bruyne squared for Iheanacho to bury a low shot.
Zaha and Bamford both failed to score from close-range at the other end and Toure made it 4-0 after Delaney was penalised for holding Eliaquim Mangala from a corner.
Delaney pulled one back with a header with 89 minutes on the clock but teenager Garcia, having been introduced as a late substitute, showed fine composure to claim City's fifth.
Matt Murray's Soccer Special verdict
"Iheanacho was outstanding. If he is not around Man City's first team soon there will be a lot of clubs looking to take him on loan.
"He really is that good, the way he drives at the defence, finds little pockets, his awareness to play his team-mates in and his finishing.
"De Bruyne was also excellent, he got a goal and an assist, but Palace missed some big chances and Patrick Bamford had a hard night."
