Pep Guardiola was left purring over the performances of Manchester City’s teenagers after watching a youthful side breeze into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup with a 6-1 win over Wycombe.
Six academy players made their debuts on the night, while another teenager – Cole Palmer – added the final flourish with a superb first senior goal for the club in the final moments of the third round tie.
Phil Foden scored one and had two assists to take man of the match honours, but the night will be remembered for the youngsters who made their mark.
“I didn’t get carried away enough to think there was a great shock on the cards,” boss Gareth Ainsworth said.
“Their front five, wow, and I’m not disrespecting their back five, they were brilliant as well.
“They’ve got some players who are going to be superstars, but we learned a lot and we had that moment on 22 minutes when Hanlan got his first goal for the club in front of our fans at the Etihad – fairytale stuff.
“I hope at the end of the season we’re saying we lost to the winners.”