Cole Palmer shows his talent on a night of positives for Covid-impacted Manchester City

It would have been understandable had some Manchester City fans approached Friday’s FA Cup tie with some trepidation.

The Covid-19 outbreak at the club meant no-one was entirely sure what type of team the Premier League champions would field, and one containing several youngsters could greatly have increased the chances of a third-round upset.

Yet it was an academy graduate who impressed most for City in the 4-1 win over Swindon Town, despite Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne among those who featured in a fiercely strong starting XI.

Nineteen-year-old Cole Palmer, starting from the right wing, demonstrated just how close he is to competing for a spot in this ludicrously talented City squad. The England Under-21 international provided the assist for Silva’s opener after 14 minutes, with a driving run and well-placed pass, before he book-ended the night by curling in a powerful effort during the latter stages.

That Palmer didn’t look out of place in this side is the best compliment that can be paid to the youngster. The attacker regularly cut in on his left, linked well with the likes of De Bruyne, Silva and Ilkay Gungodan, and moved the ball quickly.

He also showed his technical ability with a slick nutmeg in the first period, while he rifled two shots just over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

“He obviously is a huge talent, there’s no secret to this,” said assistant coach Rodolfo Borrello, who was standing in for the Covid-struck Pep Guardiola.

“Everybody has been able to see that tonight. He is a player who trains with us on a daily basis. [It’s] difficult sometimes to give him more minutes because you know the level of competition we have in our squad, so it is not easy.

“He needs to show that on a consistent basis when he has the opportunity to perform. But obviously a huge, huge quality and great potential - great for us as a club and for him as a player.”

Palmer’s impressive display ensured he earned our Man-of-the-Match award, and on a night filled with plenty of positives for City, the pre-eminent showing from the No.80 was undoubtedly the highlight for those of a sky blue persuasion.

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Much of the pre-match talk had centred around those not involved against Swindon, but the inclusion of Kyle Walker in the starting line-up will be a huge plus for City.

That was the defender’s first start in a month, and his absence caused issues at full-back, with John Stones and Nathan Ake deputising in the wide areas recently.

Another interesting facet of the game at the County Ground was Gabriel Jesus playing from the left wing for the visitors, despite largely being deployed on the right or in the centre this season.

The Brazilian put in a solid display from the flank and scored the second of the night as he passed the ball beyond Swindon goalkeeper Lewis Ward from the left side of the box.

Guardiola will also have been delighted to see youngsters James McAtee, Romeo Lavia, Luke Mbete and Kayky introduced in the second period. For summer signing Kayky, that also represented a City debut after being included on the bench for two recent league games.

Depending on the numbers available for City when they’re next in action, dipping into their youth reserves could be required once again. But that seems unlikely given the strength of the team fielded in Swindon, with Zack Steffen, Ake and Palmer the only players in the XI who wouldn’t be considered regular starters in the league.

While still more City stars could test positive in the coming days, the club will hope they are past the worst of the outbreak. There will be nine days between the news breaking of seven first-team players in isolation and the home clash with Chelsea on 15 January, and there is every chance the champions could welcome back most of those infected by then, including Guardiola.

Story of the game

Given the difference in quality between the sides on Friday night, it was no surprise City dominated possession right from outset, creating several half chances which were well dealt with by the Swindon defence.

But it took just 14 minutes for the Blues to open the scoring, with Palmer driving down the right before squaring to a waiting Silva just a few yards out from goal. The Portuguese No.20 couldn’t miss, and he tapped it into an almost empty net.

City don’t tend to need a helping hand when it comes to scoring goals, but the hosts were certainly providing them at the County Ground, with an insistence on playing out from the back seeing them caught out on several occasions near their own goal.

It was only a matter of time until City converted one from such error, and in the 28th minute a poor pass from Ward gifted De Bruyne possession on the edge of the box. From there, he slipped the ball to Jesus and the attacker slotted it home.

The game was effectively over at the break with City two up, but Gundogan’s free-kick just before the hour removed any doubt. The midfielder, spotting a gap at the near post, curled it round the wall and into the bottom corner.

Minutes later, Jesus missed from the spot after a stunted run-up, and Ward impressively palmed away the ball on a mixed night for the keeper. The home fans may have thought it would be their biggest cheer of the game, with City in cruise control at that point.

But Cancelo’s error presented the ball to Jonny Williams in an advanced area on 82 minutes, and the former Crystal Palace man played Harry McKirdy in on goal, in the space abdicated by Cancelo’s forward run.

McKirdy, a former youth team-mate of Jack Grealish, unleashed a powerful effort that Steffen probably should have kept out, but instead it shot beyond the American, resulting in an almighty roar from the home supporters.

But it was short-lived, as City showed just how much control they had over the game by netting a fourth soon after.

It was Palmer who scored it, and netted his third of the season in the process. After Silva’s shot was deflected back into the winger’s path, Palmer opened up his body and sent a powerful strike towards the top corner, where a combination of the crossbar and post saw it end up in the back of the net.

It was rich reward for the teenager’s showing and gave perhaps the first real opportunity for City fans to see just how ready Palmer is for first-team football.