{"id":687465,"date":"2026-01-10T20:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/687465\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T20:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:30:11","slug":"antoine-semenyos-debut-goal-helps-manchester-city-rout-exeter-10-1-in-fa-cup-fa-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/687465\/","title":{"rendered":"Antoine Semenyo\u2019s debut goal helps Manchester City rout Exeter 10-1 in FA Cup | FA Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

After 52 minutes, joy for Antoine Semenyo on his Manchester City<\/a> debut. Rayan Cherki\u2019s pirouette presaged him threading the ball in behind Exeter\u2019s defence for the wideman to run in and beat Joe Whitworth to cap a memorable display. A little later Semenyo was replaced to an ovation and, from his seat in the stands, the suspended Pep Guardiola, in a flat cap and winter coat, approved, too.<\/p>\n

Tijjani Reijnders\u2019 curled finish, Nico O\u2019Reilly\u2019s flicked header, an 18-yard shot by another debutant, Ryan McAidoo, and Rico Lewis\u2019s second completed City\u2019s goal-plunder, while the substitute George Birch, 19, smashed home a memorable first Exeter goal for their consolation.<\/p>\n

Pep Lijnders, who replaced Guardiola on the touchline, said: \u201cAntoine is settling well, he\u2019s a humble guy. He brings something to the front line, what we really need. He can attack quickly, wants to chase, he\u2019s a guy who doesn\u2019t stop. You see today that he can adapt quite quickly to our style.\u201d<\/p>\n

City are at Newcastle for Tuesday\u2019s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. \u201cWe want to reach the finals this year,\u201d said Lijnders. \u201cWe play the semi-final for the League Cup. We go a round further in the FA Cup<\/a> and are in the Champions League in a good position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lijnders was asked if Guardiola relayed instructions from his vantage point. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As he sought, at the fourth attempt, to win a first game of 2026, Guardiola sent out an XI that included Rodri, Erling Haaland, Cherki, Nathan Ak\u00e9 and the two debutants: the right-back, McAidoo, 17, and the \u00a362.5m man, Semenyo, who operated on the left.<\/p>\n

Max Alleyne (second left) watches his shot give Manchester City the lead. Photograph: Nick Potts\/PA<\/p>\n

Exeter, 14th in League One and unbeaten in their past three games, had never faced City in their 125-year history. They started like a train \u2013 Jayden Wareham roved in, shot, and James Trafford tipped over for a corner. This came in from the right and Trafford\u2019s reflexes again saved City, the goalkeeper palming Liam Oakes\u2019s header away.<\/p>\n

Lijnders had a smirk for Gary Caldwell when Exeter\u2019s manager complained to the fourth official, Sam Mulhall, about a corner claimed by Lewis. The Dutchman was far happier when Max Alleyne prodded the opener home. McAidoo, a bright presence, scooped in a cross. Near goal, Ak\u00e9 headed to Haaland, he tapped the ball to Abdukodir Khusanov, who rolled it across, Jack Fitzwater hashed the clearance and the 20-year-old Alleyne, on his second City appearance, scored.<\/p>\n

Caldwell deployed a 5-4-1 that had to prosper from scant possession. After Wareham nicked the ball near halfway, play went right then left, but Jack Aitchison was flagged offside.<\/p>\n

Semenyo took out a page advert in the local newspaper to thank Bournemouth fans after his three years there, which was as classy as the raking pass that allowed Reijnders to bob and weave in the Grecians\u2019 area. The 26-year-old\u2019s next contribution was an inadvertent assist. His effort cannoned back to Rodri and the Spaniard fired a missile beyond the diving and helpless Whitworth, low into the keeper\u2019s right corner.<\/p>\n

Already Exeter were a raggedy bunch, chasing blue shirts about as if dazed and befuddled. Semenyo hit an instant pass to Haaland, he shot, Whitworth parried the ball across the area and Cherki\u2019s dummy was bought by Luca Woodhouse, who felled the Frenchman. Adam Herczeg ruled no penalty, which appeared a wrong decision, but with no video assistant referee the decision was final.<\/p>\n

By half-time City led 4-0. The hapless Fitzwater headed Cherki\u2019s corner from the left against Ak\u00e9 and the ball bounced in. Then Reijnders\u2019 cross from the left was turned past Whitworth by Fitzwater, whose afternoon was becoming a nightmare.<\/p>\n

George Birch scores for Exeter, making it 9-1 \u2013 but Rico Lewis had the last word. Photograph: Peter Powell\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Before this, Ilmari Niskanen broke through from right wing-back but steered his effort wide, so Exeter wandered off for the interval staring at a serious hiding.<\/p>\n

Haaland, Ak\u00e9 and Rodri were replaced by Divine Mukasa, Stephen Mfuni and O\u2019Reilly, and City continued on. Semenyo this time curved a cross over from the left and Lewis\u2019s volley gave Whitworth no chance.<\/p>\n

Further City goals came for Semenyo, Reijnders, O\u2019Reilly, McAidoo and, after Birch\u2019s, Lewis, as Exeter were imperiously swatted aside by Guardiola\u2019s ruthless unit. Caldwell said: \u201cWhen the team sheet came in, it was an experience we didn\u2019t envisage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After 52 minutes, joy for Antoine Semenyo on his Manchester City debut. Rayan Cherki\u2019s pirouette presaged him threading…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":687466,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-687465","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115872702418038699","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687465\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/687466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}