Floyd Samba marked his Manchester City debut in spectacular fashion, scoring twice as the Premier League champions cruised to a 5 0 victory over Norwich in the League Cup.
The result secured City a place in the last 16, where they will face Brighton.
Samba, 17, was among 10 changes made by Enzo Maresca following Sunday’s dramatic derby victory over Manchester United, which City won despite playing with 10 men.
The teenager quickly made his case for more first team opportunities with an impressive performance on his senior debut.
“To get a debut like that is mind blowing. I couldn’t believe it myself,” Samba said after the match.
The youngster, who is the son of former Blackburn and Queens Park Rangers defender Chris Samba, added that the performance was only the beginning of what he hopes will be a long career.
Brazilian midfielder Allan also enjoyed a memorable first appearance since completing his £34 million move from Palmeiras. He added City’s third goal with an impressive individual effort.
Rayan Cherki had earlier doubled the advantage after being played through by Ayyoub Bouaddi, before Allan struck in the 48th minute with a composed finish into the far corner.
Samba then completed his brace shortly afterwards, taking advantage of another defensive lapse from Norwich before curling the ball into the far corner.
The teenager had opened the scoring when he reacted quickest to head in Allan’s cross after Norwich goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw failed to deal with the delivery.
Bouaddi, who arrived from Lille for a reported €100 million, made his first start at the Etihad Stadium and contributed an assist for Cherki’s goal.
While City made several major signings during the transfer window, including Bouaddi, Enzo Fernandez, Elliott Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye, Allan’s arrival attracted comparatively little attention. His performance against Norwich, however, offered an early glimpse of what he could bring to the team.
Ryan McAidoo, another promising City youngster, completed the scoring late in the game to round off a dominant night for the hosts.
Norwich also made nine changes as they prioritised their Championship promotion campaign, but the heavily rotated side struggled to cope with City’s quality.
The victory also maintained Maresca’s perfect start as Pep Guardiola’s successor, with City now having won six consecutive matches across three competitions.
