Norwich vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from FA Cup
Manchester City cruised into the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday with a 3-0 road victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road.
Sergio Aguero, Kelechi Iheanacho and Kevin De Bruyne found the back of the net for the Citizens against their fellow Premier League side.
The scoreline suggests that City were dominant for most of the match, but Norwich had their fair share of chances in the first half. However, the Canaries failed to convert when the opportunities presented themselves.
The victory by manager Manuel Pellegrini's men also kept them alive on four fronts. City are in the semifinals of the Capital One Cup, the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League and are in contention for the Premier League title.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Manchester City's first FA Cup win of the season.
Winner: Sergio Aguero
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Any concerns about Aguero's fitness level were washed away in the 16th minute as the Argentinian forward skillfully carved through the Norwich City defense on his way to a goal.
Aguero received a pass 25 yards from goal and danced into the right side of the box around a quartet of defenders. The forward finished off his wonderful individual move with a shot past John Ruddy that put City in the lead.
The goal was the fifth in Aguero's last five FA Cup matches, per OptaJoe on Twitter, but his day wasn't done just yet. In the 31st minute, Aguero used some solid hold-up play to pass the ball over to Iheanacho in the buildup to City's second.
If Saturday is any sign of the progress Aguero has made since returning from injury, City should be in good hands up top.
Loser: Sebastien Bassong
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Sebastien Bassong made the mistake of being too flat-footed in defense on two occasions on Saturday at Carrow Road.
During Aguero's run from left to right in the buildup to the first goal, Bassong stood firm for too long in the middle of the pitch and let the Manchester City forward race straight past him.
In the 31st minute, Bassong waited to react to Aguero's pass that went through the box in the direction of Iheanacho. Had the Norwich center back stepped up and knocked the ball out of the path of Iheanacho, the Canaries may have gone into the locker room only down a goal.
But due to the defensive deficiencies shown by Bassong and a few others, Norwich fell out of the FA Cup in their first game in the competition this season.
Winner: Kelechi Iheanacho
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Iheanacho provided City with more good news about their strike force on Saturday as he produced an impressive 85-minute shift next to Aguero.
The 19-year-old Nigerian was a spark up top from the start of the match, and he was finally rewarded for his efforts in the 31st minute.
Iheanacho received a pass from Aguero on the right side of the box and slotted a shot past Ruddy to put City in the driver's seat of the third-round matchup.
If Iheanacho continues to provide City with quality at the forward position, they may just have the depth up top to win multiple trophies this season.
Loser: Martin Olsson
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The disgusted look on the face of Martin Olsson after the second Manchester City goal told you everything you need to know about Norwich's defensive effort on the play.
After his teammates failed to corral Aguero on the left side of the penalty area, Olsson reacted late to the pass delivered across the penalty area by the forward. Due to Olsson's poor timing, Iheanacho had time and space to power his strike into the net.
Olsson's day wasn't particularly bad after the visitors put home the second goal, but he didn't do anything to remedy the situation on either side of the pitch.
Norwich weren't totally outclassed on Saturday by Manchester City, but they couldn't recover from the defensive lapses they had on the first two goals.
Winner: Kevin De Bruyne
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De Bruyne finished off a day of impressive goals for Manchester City in the 78th minute as he spun around Ryan Bennett and knocked in City's third strike of the match.
The Belgian's tally came 17 minutes after he entered the pitch for Raheem Sterling, who didn't have a bad day himself on the wing. De Bruyne's goal also helped secure the victory for Manchester City in a match where they began to gain control as the second half went on.
In addition to helping City move on to the fourth round with little difficulty, De Bruyne gave Pellegrini something to think about in the fierce competition for starting spots in the City attack.
It may not seem like a big goal in the context of Saturday's match, but the big-picture message is that De Bruyne can score no matter what his role is.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
