Manchester City strolled into the fourth round of the FA Cup as James McAtee scored a hat-trick in an 8-0 win over second division side Salford City at the Etihad Stadium.

Jeremy Doku added two goals, while Jack Grealish ended his long goal drought and youngsters Divin Mubama and Nico O’Reilly also scored in a one-sided encounter at the Etihad Stadium.

It was a brutal performance by a much-changed city, whose fans relished the beating inflicted on their ‘Class of 92’ visitors.

An unforgettable evening for Neville at the rival’s house

Gary Neville, one of those famous former Manchester United players, was mocked mercilessly as the goals flew.

The England full-back-turned-pundit-turned-businessman wasn’t there to witness the bust-up, but his colleagues Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes were there to watch it all unfold in agonizing detail from the stands.

Ryan Giggs, the sporting director who also plays a role in the backroom, was also close at hand in the technical area as the biggest game in Salford’s history quickly went awry.

City made nine changes from the side that outpaced West Ham last weekend, taking the opportunity to hand 20-year-old Mubama a debut and give 19-year-olds O’Reilly and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey further experience.

Simpson-Pusey was one of only two specialist defenders in the team alongside the experienced Nathan Ake, but Pep Guardiola had plenty of protection with a first-class bench should anything go wrong.

But Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden only had to watch as City quickly gained control.

The hosts took the lead after just eight minutes when Matheus Nunes picked up the ball and fed Grealish, who played the ball wide of goal for Doku to sweep past Matty Young from a tight angle.

The second came after 20 minutes when Savinho played inside Nunes and pulled back for Mubama to slide in for a simple finish.

Salford had the chance to respond when City released the pressure. Kylian Kouassi shot at Ederson after a good run and later sank a shot from an excellent cross from Hakeeb Adelakun.

Kevin Berkoe also grabbed an attempt, but City then simply stepped up a gear.

Doku weaved his way to the byline and O’Reilly scored his first goal for the senior team before half-time.

Grealish, who has not scored a goal in club football since December 2023, got back on the scoresheet four minutes after the break.

The England international might have scored from play after Mubama took advantage of a poor back pass to set him up, but after being brought down by Ossama Ashley he made no mistake from the penalty spot.

City’s fifth goal came soon after after a fluid move as Nunes released Doku and his first-time cross was deftly directed home by McAtee.

Things quickly spiraled out of control for Salford, conceding a second penalty when Doku’s shot hit captain Curtis Tilt’s arm.

This time Doku sent Young the wrong way and the goalkeeper was beaten again when substitute Foden’s ball was well controlled and tucked away by McAtee.

McAtee completed his three-pointer nine minutes from time when he converted a cross from Grealish.

Player of the Match: James McAtee

Man City Hat-trick hero James McAtee told that BBC: “I was pretty frustrated in the first half and didn’t see much of the ball. When the first ball came in, my confidence increased and I kept shooting.”

“I’ve been here since I was ten and it’s a special moment for me. Something I will remember forever. I don’t think I had to prove myself, but to go out and show people what I can do, that’s a good moment for me.

Guardiola: Grealish’s performance depends on him

Man Ciy Boss Pep Guardiola told that BBC: “Jack (Grealish) also made a good assist, not just the goal. He scored a goal and made an assist. Jack is a special player, not always one who scores a lot of goals, but it depends on him.”

“If he can perform well he will take the opportunity to move on and keep going. All players depend on their performance in training sessions and when they have playing minutes. It’s easy, not just for Jack, for everyone.”

“I coached here for more than 500 games and we played an incredible 487 or 488 games. Then we had 11, 12 or 13 bad games.”

“The problem we had is that we had an incredible amount of injuries, so we couldn’t train and compete. It’s so difficult, but step by step people are coming back.”

“This season or maybe next season, new players are coming and you have to fight for your position. When someone pushes you, you have competition and do your best.”

Robinson: A taste of what we want to be

Salford Boss Charles Robinson told that BBC: “You always know that you are at the mercy of the quality of the competition.”

“Man City and Pep have never disrespected anyone and they showed us why they are what they are and why he is who he is. It’s about shaking ourselves off, we’ve made so much progress in 12 months and we want to be where we are in the league.

“We have one goal and that is to get out of this league. This is a taste of where we want to be and we know we still have so much to improve and know where we want to be.”

What’s coming up?