KEVIN DE BRUYNE made an eye-catching return and Phil Foden struck twice as holders Manchester City thrashed Huddersfield 5-0 in the FA Cup third round.
Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku were also on target as City – further aided by an own goal – swept aside their Championship opponents in a one-sided third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The impact of the in-form Foden was again impressive but De Bruyne’s comeback, after five months out, was arguably of greater significance.
The Belgian was given just over half an hour at the end of the game and he marked the occasion by teeing up a goal for fellow returnee Doku.
His presence brought some of the biggest cheers of the afternoon from the home fans, whose noise was drowned out by that of the 6,000-strong visiting support early on.
Yet Huddersfield, not surprisingly given their struggles in the second tier this season, could not match the intensity of their fans as City, without hitting top gear, comfortably outplayed them.
The opener came on 33 minutes as Mateo Kovacic slipped in Alvarez and his firm pass was well taken and rifled in by Foden at close range.
The second followed just four minutes later as Matheus Nunes linked with Foden and then found Lewis, who squared for Alvarez to stretch and poke home.
SIMPLY. BREATHTAKING.
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PATRICK BAMFORD. OH MY WORD. 🤯🤯🤯@LUFC #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/0xVnnDfXRv
De Bruyne was introduced on 57 minutes in a double change that also saw Doku make his return from injury.
City claimed their third goal moments later as Nunes controlled a high ball and played wide to Bobb, whose attempted cross to De Bruyne at the far post flicked off Ben Jackson and looped into the net.
Huddersfield had a brief flurry as Thomas forced Ortega to save with his feet when through one on one but City’s fourth was not long in coming.
Again Foden did the damage, calmly stroking the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the area from a well-worked short-corner routine.
De Bruyne created the fifth as he surged upfield, played a one-two with Bobb and then pulled the ball back for Doku to thump in on the half-volley.
Elsewhere, Patrick Bamford’s moment of brilliance lit up Leeds’ smooth FA Cup passage as they eased to a 3-0 win at Peterborough.
The forward was handed only his second start of the campaign as boss Daniel Farke rang the changes.
And Bamford responded by delivering a stunning strike shortly after half-time to double an advantage provided by Ethan Ampadu’s first goal in Leeds colours.
Captain Ampadu then sealed the win late on as his sudden taste for scoring continued.
The goalscorers were two of only five survivors from the Sky Bet Championship success against Birmingham on New Year’s Day as Farke shuffled his pack, but it did not hamper Leeds as they strolled to victory.
It looked as though West Ham would also have a comfortable day when when Jarrod Bowen fired them into an early lead against Bristol City.
It proved to be anything but, however, after a second-half equaliser from Tommy Conway secured a replay for the rocking Robins, who were captained by Republic of Ireland midfielder Jason Knight.
West Ham’s squad would have been given a whole a week off had they won this third-round tie, but they will now be dragged back in on Friday as Moyes, who reached Wembley twice as a player with City, prepares for a return to Ashton Gate.
Almost 9,000 members of City’s cider army – among an impressive 62,500 sell-out – made the trip to the capital, but the raucous bunch who filled the Trevor Brooking stand were silenced after just four minutes.
Lucas Paqueta dropped deep to collect the ball and lifted a delicious pass over the top to Bowen.
The England hopeful still had work to do, controlling the ball before knocking it past the dive of City’s Ireland international keeper Max O’Leary and beating covering defender Cameron Pring on the goal-line.
Sadly for West Ham it was Paqueta’s last involvement in the match. The Brazilian playmaker was only just back from a knee injury and seemed to suffer a recurrence.
Teenage striker Divin Mubama was sent on as a replacement for a rare chance to impress.
West Ham almost doubled their lead when Bowen got round the back of the City defence and pulled the ball back, but O’Leary made a superb reaction save to claw out Pablo Fornals’ shot.
