MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City dominated their FA Cup match against Salford City, a team from the fourth tier, winning decisively with a score of 8-0. On Saturday, Premier League teams showcased their strength in the tournament, with Liverpool and Chelsea also securing convincing victories in the third round of the competition. Other clubs like Brighton, Bournemouth, and Leicester joined in the high-scoring festivities, as a total of 32 goals were netted by these six teams alone.
The third round of the FA Cup is often a highlight in the English football calendar, filled with potential surprises. However, this year was a demonstration of Premier League superiority, as teams like Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton also moved on to the next stage of the tournament. The day’s only major upset was Brentford’s unexpected 1-0 defeat to Plymouth, the bottom team in the second division.
City’s merciless performance came at the expense of their local rivals Salford, co-owned by former Manchester United legends including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, and others. Even with several star players rested, Pep Guardiola’s team displayed relentless intensity at Etihad Stadium, with emerging talent James McAtee scoring a spectacular hat trick in the second half. Other City prospects, Divin Mubama and Nico O’Reilly, also contributed to the scoreline, while Jack Grealish marked his return to goal-scoring form in the club with his first goal in nearly 38 games.
The match was particularly hard to watch for Giggs, Salford’s director of football, as he faced jeers from City fans while Scholes and Butt were captured looking disheartened in the stands. Salford had been on a high after securing six consecutive wins without letting in a goal. “You always know you’re at the mercy of the quality of the competition,” Salford’s manager Karl Robinson remarked, acknowledging City’s caliber and expressing disbelief at conceding all eight goals in one match.
Meanwhile, Liverpool continued their pursuit of a historic quadruple, defeating Accrington Stanley 4-0. With a strong showing, Liverpool—who are also leading in the Premier League and the Champions League, as well as competing in the English League Cup semifinals—had no trouble advancing. Goals from Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jayden Danns, and Federico Chiesa secured their spot in the next round at Anfield, where 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha made his debut.
Chelsea also enjoyed a dominant performance, winning 5-0 over Morecambe, where Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Felix each netted a pair of goals. Meanwhile, Leicester, struggling against relegation, triumphed over Queens Park Rangers 6-2, marking only their second win under manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. James Justin and Jamie Vardy had notable contributions to the scoreline.
Brighton cruised to a 4-0 victory against Norwich, where Georginio Rutter scored twice. In a similar vein, Bournemouth defeated West Brom 5-1, with Dango Ouattara contributing two goals. Nottingham Forest continued to impress, winning their seventh consecutive match against Luton with goals from Ryan Yates and Ramon Sosa. Wolverhampton also managed to advance in the Cup, defeating Bristol City 2-1.
In an unexpected turn, Plymouth, facing relegation concerns in the second division and recently parting ways with their manager Wayne Rooney, stunned Brentford with a late goal from Morgan Whittaker, which ended a daunting eleven-game winless streak for the club. In another upset, former Manchester United youth player Demetri Mitchell scored two goals, leading Exeter to a 3-1 victory over Oxford, propelling them into the fourth round for the first time in 44 years.
