Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace: Winners and Losers from Capital One Cup
Manchester City eased into the last eight of the Capital One Cup with a 5-1 hammering of Crystal Palace on Wednesday night in a fourth-round match at the Etihad Stadium.
Wilfried Bony fired the hosts ahead in the 22nd minute, with Kevin De Bruyne doubling the lead just before halftime. Bony then set up Kelechi Iheanacho for City's third, in the 59th minute, before Yaya Toure made it 4-0 from the penalty spot.
Damien Delaney pulled a goal back for Palace, but Manu Garcia underlined City's superiority with their fifth goal in the closing moments.
City will play Hull City in the fifth round.
Here, B/R selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Wilfried Bony
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Wilfried Bony opened the scoring with a good header, directing the ball past Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey from a Kevin De Bruyne corner. It was the Ivorian's third goal of the year for City, following his brace against Bournemouth in the Premier League earlier this month.
With Sergio Aguero injured, Bony was under pressure to produce the goods. Admittedly, the stakes weren't extremely high. A fourth-round Capital One Cup tie is not the same as a Champions League knockout match or a Premier League showdown with a fellow title challenger.
But scoring a fine goal will give both Bony and his manager confidence in his abilities. Aguero is still the undoubted first choice at center-forward, but City will be hoping Bony can minimize the impact of his absence as much as possible.
Winner: Kelechi Iheanacho
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Teenager Kelechi Iheanacho turned in an impressive display for Manchester City, scoring a goal and assisting two more.
Iheanacho, 19, netted his first goal for City on Sept. 12, coincidentally against Crystal Palace. That strike was a 90th-minute winner, and although Wednesday's goal was not quite as crucial, it was no less impressive.
The Nigerian forward showed excellent composure in controlling a cross from Kevin De Bruyne before finishing past Wayne Hennessey. He also displayed superb awareness in picking out De Bruyne for a close-range goal.
"It was very important for Kelechi to demonstrate once again that he's a very good player," manager Manuel Pellegrini said, per ESPN FC. "He's not just a striker—he provided two assists. I'm very happy for him. He has things to improve but he's working in the correct way."
In the closing moments, Iheanacho picked out Manu Garcia as City hit Palace on the break for the fifth and final goal.
"Teenager Kelechi Iheanacho impressed again for #MCFC tonight," tweeted John Bennett of BBC World TV. "Fans voted him MOM. Only a matter of time before a #Nigeria call-up."
Losers: The Other Teams Left
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Wednesday's win sent Manchester City into the last eight, where they will play second-tier side Hull City.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini selected several second-choice players for Crystal Palace's visit, but as this 5-1 victory hinted, City's squad is so full of quality that the second-choice players do not represent much of a drop-off from the first.
With that in mind, it's hard to look past City when considering the favorites to win this competition. With Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all crashing out in the fourth round, City are certainly the biggest team left.
Pellegrini's men have to be the favorites.
Winner: Kevin De Bruyne
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Kevin De Bruyne scored yet again, finding the net from close range in the 44th minute. That gives him six goals for Manchester City in just nine games since joining from Wolfsburg at the end of the transfer window.
In addition, De Bruyne served up the corner that Wilfried Bony converted for City's opening goal. The Belgian's £55 million transfer fee was certainly steep, but his earliest contributions are already starting to justify it.
Winner: The Home Fans
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In the 35th minute of the match, the home fans at the Etihad Stadium began a minute of applause to honor one of their own.
Chris Shaw, a City supporter, passed away from cancer recently, as reported by the Manchester Evening News. To honor the late fan, those in attendance sang a chorus of "Once A Blue, Always a Blue" in a touching moment of genuine camaraderie.
Classy move by the home fans.
