Manchester City tore Exeter City apart with a 10 to 1 win in the FA Cup third round at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 10 January 2026, delivering one of the competition’s most lopsided results in recent memory.
The Premier League champions, coached by Pep Guardiola who watched from the stands while serving a one match touchline ban, fielded a strong side and overwhelmed the League One visitors from the opening exchanges. For football followers in Eswatini, the match served as another reminder of the vast gap between England’s top flight and the lower leagues, often laid bare during FA Cup weekends.
City took the lead in the 12th minute when Academy product Max Alleyne poked the ball home from close range after a corner. Rodri doubled the advantage on 24 minutes with a fierce 30 yard strike, his first goal since returning to the line up. Exeter’s resistance faded further before the break as Jake Doyle Hayes and Jack Fitzwater both turned the ball into their own net, sending City into half time with a 4 to 0 cushion.
Exeter, backed by a travelling support of about 7 800 fans from Devon, had briefly threatened an upset early on when Liam Oakes forced a sharp save from James Trafford inside the first five minutes. That moment proved fleeting as City’s depth and tempo took control.
The goals continued after the restart. Rico Lewis made it 5 to 0 in the 49th minute from Antoine Semenyo’s cross, before Semenyo, signed from Bournemouth for £65 million just a day earlier, marked his debut with a calm finish in the 54th minute. Tijjani Reijnders curled in the seventh, Nico O’Reilly headed home the eighth, and Academy winger Ryan McAidoo struck from distance to make it nine.
Exeter teenager George Birch provided a rare bright spot for the visitors with a powerful long range effort in the 90th minute, drawing applause despite the scoreline. Any brief respite was short lived as Lewis struck again in stoppage time to complete City’s march into double figures.
The 10 to 1 result matched Manchester City’s biggest victory, last achieved against Huddersfield Town in November 1987, and secured their place in the FA Cup fourth round, with the draw scheduled for Monday.
Discussion about this post