Allan Elias made quite the first impression. The Brazilian, signed from Palmeiras for £34 million after catching the eye of Enzo Maresca and Hugo Viana in the summer, marked his City debut with a goal and an assist as the Blues opened their Carabao Cup defence with a 5-0 win over Norwich City at the Etihad on Thursday night.
It was a night that showcased the depth of City's academy, with Maresca making ten changes to the side that beat Manchester United on the weekend. Among those coming in were academy trio Floyd Samba, Kaden Braithwaite and Ryan McAidoo, while a midfield axis of Rayan Cherki and Mateo Kovacic provided the experienced spine to help suppress Norwich's early aggression.
Elias, making his first appearance under Maresca since joining in August, had a hand in the opening goal. He returned a cross into the box for Samba to pounce on, the 17-year-old heading into the far corner for a debut goal of his own. From there, the home side took control.
The Brazilian's start to the game was not entirely smooth. He lost possession early on and struggled to find confidence with the ball at his feet. But he turned things around in some style, recording a goal and assist inside 20 minutes of dominant football from City.
Just three minutes after the second half kicked off, Elias added a third to the scoreline, wrapping his foot around the ball and flashing a low shot across the face of goal. A quintessential debut performance, and one that will have pleased Maresca and Viana no end.
By the hour mark, it was the academy graduates who looked like seasoned professionals. Samba secured his brace by the 54th minute, and with City running away with the game, Norwich began to fade. McAidoo, who had replaced Cherki at half-time, completed the scoring after 90 minutes to make it 5-0.
Elias took to Instagram after the game to share his delight:
“So happy to make my debut in this shirt! It was incredible to experience this special night alongside all Cityzens. May this be the beginning of a great journey!”
The win maintains City's perfect start to the season, and with several attacking departures over the summer – including Tottenham's double-sweep of Omar Marmoush and Savinho – Elias arrived at the Etihad motivated but aware that first-team chances would be hard to come by. On this evidence, he may not have to wait long for his next one.