Ghana international Antoine Semenyo made an instant impact as he opened his Manchester City account in a thumping victory over lower-tier Exeter FC on Saturday afternoon.
Fresh from completing his move to the champions, Semenyo was handed a starting role for the FA Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium and wasted little time announcing himself.
Teenage defender Max Alleyne, making only his second senior appearance, set City on their way with a close-range finish before Rodri unleashed a powerful strike to double the lead. The hosts went into the break four goals to the good, aided by own goals from Jake Doyle-Hayes and Jack Fitzwater.
Semenyo was heavily involved as his dangerous delivery forced Rico Lewis to score, before the January signing capped his debut with a composed finish after latching onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Rayan Cherki.
City’s dominance continued after the interval, with Tijjani Reijnders, Nico O’Reilly and academy winger Ryan McAidoo all getting on the scoresheet.
Exeter briefly found joy through a stunning consolation goal from George Birch, but Lewis restored City’s relentless momentum with a 10th goal to complete a memorable afternoon.
At 26, Semenyo becomes the first player since Sergio Agüero in 2011 to record both a goal and an assist on his Manchester City debut and was named the Man of the Match following his impressive performance.
The emphatic result marked the first time in nearly 40 years that City had scored double figures in a competitive match.
Semenyo has now taken his tally to 11 goals across all competitions this season and is expected to feature in City’s EFL Cup semifinal clash against Newcastle United on Tuesday night, before the champions travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Saturday.
