When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Manchester City sailed to a 3-0 victory against Oxford United with Pep Guardiola's faith in his youngsters paying off in style. The Spanish boss opted to start some of his young guns and none of them let him down as goals from Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden sealed the win. English wonderkid Foden played a huge part in City's opener before killing off the tie at the end, while Brahim Diaz also made a big impression. City's back-up stopper Aro Muric looked comfortable between the sticks, though some of City's senior stars didn't enjoy the best of nights considering the simple display.<doc-sep>Phil Foden opened his Manchester City account in impressive fashion as the Blues put three past Oxford in the Carabao Cup. The 18-year-old’s 94th-minute strike put the icing on the cake of a commanding display as City’s defence got off to the perfect start. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the first half before Riyad Mahrez doubled the lead to score his third in two City games. Guardiola took the chance to experiment with his side, with Aro Muric proving competent in his City debut and John Stones giving food for thought in a defensive midfield role. Foden was the star of the show, though, with the academy graduate having a hand in all three of City’s goals. He carved open the League One side’s defence in the build up to Jesus’ 36th-minute header before playing the key pass to Mahrez for his second-half strike. See how all the action unfolded below.<doc-sep>PEP GUARDIOLA would have expected his City side to enjoy a stroll in Oxfordshire and carry on where they left off against Cardiff. Apart from Riyad Mahez continuing his goals run, having hit two in south Wales, the similarities must end there. 8 Gabriel Jesus scored as Man City beat Oxford United 3-0 Credit: Reuters Despite being in command for most of the match against the hosts from the wrong end of League One, City delivered a disappointing, low tempo performance. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the first half and only a second from Mahrez with 12 minutes left settled the nerves for City’s 1,200 fans. Until that second strike, Oxford even had a few moments of hope when they pushed City’s superstars and all they needed was a fluke or own goal and — potentially — the game could have gone to spot-kicks. Yet Mahrez delivered a polished finish from around the end of the box and it was from another fine pass from Phil Foden who was excellent in his first start since the Community Shield at Wembley. 8 Phil Foden netted his first-ever goal for City Credit: Reuters Foden, 18, thought he was not going to get the goal he deserved when was denied by a decent save from home keeper Jonathan Mitchell. But the young England star scored with an excellent left-footed effort in injury time. Yet there was disappointment for John Stones who played in midfield but lost the ball on far too many occasions. For Guardiola, he will have been relieved to have got away from Oxford without suffering a major embarrassment. Defiant Jose Mourinho talks about Paul Pogba, Phil Jones and Manchester United’s loss to Derby County in the Carabao Cup 8 Riyad Mahrez was also on the scoresheet for his new club Credit: AP:Associated Press 8 Jesus put City ahead in the first half Credit: AP:Associated Press Riyad Mahrez grabs a brace for Manchester City at Cardiff as he wins our Player of the Round Equally, Oxford boss Karl Robinson will have been boosted with an encouraging performance from a team which should be able to climb to safety. Oxford went into the game against the reigning Premier League champions and Carabao Cup holders laying second from bottom in League One with just one win in nine matches. City’s fit-again Brazilian defender Danilo was playing his first match since the World Cup while Guardiola also gave a debut to teenage keeper Aro Muric, 19. England centre-back John Stones was pushed up as a defensive midfielder while Phil Foden was handed a rare start by Guardiola. Although City started slowly, Gabriel Jesus thought he had opened the scoring with a deflected effort but it was ruled out for offside. David Silva had another chance but his finishing was surprisingly poor after home keeper Jon Mitchell parried an effort from Oleksandr Zinchenko. 8 Mahrez was delighted when he doubled the lead in the second half Credit: AP:Associated Press 8 Foden capped off a terrific display with a last-gasp strike Credit: Reuters While a Blues goal appeared inevitable, Oxford had a few moments and the crowd took a deep breath when skipper Shandon Baptiste, Oxford’s best player this season, threaded a fine ball through City’s defence for Jon Obika who was clean through, but was offside. City, who face Brighton on Saturday followed by a Champions League trip to Hoffenheim, took the lead with the scruffiest of goals in front of the home fans. Foden started the move with a excellent pass to Brahim Diaz and while his effort was blocked, the ball fell perfectly for Jesus to score with his head from close range. The home supporters had helped create a bubbly atmosphere but this strike certainly knocked the absolute stuffing out of them. Silva caused havoc with a mazy run but Riyad Mahrez, who looked as though he would score, drilled the ball wide. Danilo appeared to be on a mission to get on the scoresheet and he hammered an effort which flashed cross the face of Mitchell’s goal an, despite generally being outplayed, Oxford were still just one strike from levelling the tie. 8 Youngster Aro Muric was handed a rare start in goal Credit: AFP 8 Pep Guardiola was delighted with his team's performance away from home Credit: Reuters At times, City were guilty of being too elaborate and they found themselves wasting some half-decent chances. Diaz then limped off nine minutes into the second half after suffering a heavy tackle and Raheem Sterling was unleashed although, predictably, to jeers. Sterling has thick skin and has become used to this type of rubbish wherever he plays but it is still curious treatment for a player who would have been cheered on by all of this near-12000 crowd during the World Cup. The City star certainly wasted no time in teasing and tormenting Oxford defender Luke Garbutt. And there was some relief for the other Oxford players when Silva was taken off but as you would expect with any City bench, it was hardly weak — and Ilkay Gundogan appeared. Jesus, maybe forgetting the score, was far too casual when he had the ball at his feet but his finishing was poor.<doc-sep>Get Cardiff City updates sent to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Cardiff City remain without a win this season after they were thumped 5-0 by Man City. Football writer Ian Mitchelmore rates the players from the game in the Welsh capital. Neil Etheridge 7 - Star Man Rarely tested in the opening half an hour but little he could to about Sergio Aguero's 32nd minute opener and was unmoved as Bernardo Silva's header looped over him and into the back of the net. Denied Aguero from close range soon after but was a mere spectator as Ilkay Gundogan made it 3-0. Kept out another shot from Aguero and punched Raheem Sterling's free-kick wide late on while also denying Phil Foden. Greg Cunningham 5 Thrown in at the deep end on what was his first league start for the Bluebirds and did well to limit the threat of Sterling early on. But Man City's lethal frontline soon hit top gear and the away side enjoyed plenty of success on the flanks. Sean Morrison 4 Almost turned into his own net early on and miscommunication with Neil Etheridge put his side back under pressure soon after. Conditions certainly made life more difficult, but this wasn't Morrison's best showing. (Image: Getty Images Europe) Bruno Manga 6 Back in his preferred centre-back role, the Gabon international won plenty of aerial duels keep the visitors at bay and interceptions also proved vital too in the opening half an hour. Sloppy for Gundogan's goal but his error led to Mahrez scoring a fifth for Man City late on. Lee Peltier 6 Left for dead by Leroy Sane in the opening stages but was otherwise very solid at right-back early on. But - as with Cunningham and the two centre-backs - Man City's front three carved Cardiff's defence open at will after going ahead. Forced off through injury after the break. (Image: Getty Images Europe) Harry Arter 6 Typical industrious display in the middle of the park but was unable to do his usual dirty work as Man City knocked the ball around for fun. Joe Ralls 6 Started well but was quickly overran as Man City's midfield dominated proceedings. Collected a booking for a very poor challenge on Gundogan on the stroke of half time. Vital block to deny Bernardo Silva in the 73rd minute. Victor Camarasa 6 Full of confidence early on and was at the heart of things whenever the Bluebirds did manage to bypass Man City's midfield. But a few nervy moments put his side under pressure, and the Spaniard was unable to carry any kind of attacking influence after the Bluebirds went behind. (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency) Junior Hoilett 6 Battled in vain to relieve the pressure on the men further behind him and did manage to threaten on the right flank on one or two occasions. Replaced by Josh Murphy. Bobby Reid 5 Positive early on as the Bluebirds carried a threat on the counter attack. But became increasingly isolated and was unable to give any kind of support to Ward as the visitors controlled possession. Danny Ward 6 Fed off scraps and was rarely given any time on the ball. Tested Ederson from distance in the first half and put in a real shift, but there was little Ward could do to prevent this mauling. Hooked just after the hour mark. Subs Jazz Richards (for Lee Peltier, 48mins) - Little he could to as waves of attacks came his way on the right, one of which saw Gundogan pick out Mahrez for his side's fourth goal. 5 Kenneth Zohore (for Danny Ward, 63mins) - Barely had a touch of the ball as Man City dominated possession. 5 Josh Murphy (for Junior Hoilett, 75mins) - Too late to make an impact. N/A Cardiff City: Etheridge; Peltier (Richards 51), Manga, Morrison (C), Cunningham; Arter, Ralls, Camarasa; Reid, Hoilett (J Murphy 75), Ward (Zohore 63). Subs not used: B Murphy, Bennett, Bamba, Paterson. Yellow card: Ralls 45 Man City: Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Delph; Fernandinho (C) (Stones 74), Gundogan (Foden 69), B Silva; Sterling, Aguero (Mahrez 61), Sane. Subs not used: Muric, Kompany, D Silva, Jesus. Goals: Aguero 32, B Silva 35, Gundogan 44, Mahrez 67 89 Yellow card: Fernandinho 60 Referee: Michael Oliver Attendance: 32,321<doc-sep>
Manchester City kicked off their Carabao Cup defence by beating Oxford 3-0 at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday night. The cup holders took to the Oxford pitch on the back of a comfortable 5-0 win over Cardiff City in Premier League action on the weekend and it took them 36 minutes to get off the mark in this one. Pep Guardiola handed backup keeper Arijanet Muric a start, with Danilo, Phil Foden, Brahim Diaz and Oleksandr Zinchenko also getting nods as he opted to rest some of his star players. However, the likes of ​Riyad Mahrez, David Silva and Vincent Kompany also featured in the starting XI. Oxford, meanwhile, came into the match having won just one match - against Fulham's Under-21s in the EFL Trophy - since August and were hoping for a miracle. But that wasn't to be as City took the lead in the first half through Gabriel Jesus, who nodded into the ground to score from point-blank range after a teammate's shot was deflected his way. Mahrez would add another for the Premier League champions in the 78th minute off a great assist from Foden. And the 18-year-old then scored one himself in stoppage time to make it 3-0 for his side. See our breakdown of the game below. Manchester City Key Talking Point City were hardly troubled during the match - save an error in the box from Muric that Nicolas Otamendi cleaned up - and should have scored more, yet Oxford deserve credit for their stubborn defending. The visitors were unable to carve out a clear shot on goal until Mahrez's strike late in the second half, despite having scored in the first period. There was little doubt City would come out on top even after fielding few of their youngsters, who did look very good on the night, with Foden shining brightly. Meanwhile Man City comfortably beat Oxford 3-0 away from home while we’re struggling for the second consecutive game at home against newly promoted and Championship teams respectively. This is beyond embarrassing. — Rayane Moussallem (@RioMoussallem) September 25, 2018 The youngster both scored and assisted in the match and has done his prospects under Pep Guardiola very little harm. Diaz was unfortunate to go off with an injury 10 minutes into the second half but showed glimpses of brilliance in his 55 minutes on the pitch. Player Ratings Man City Starting XI: Muric (7), Danilo (7.5), Kompany (8), Stones (7), Otamendi (8), Zinchenko (7.5), Silva (7), Diaz (7), Foden (8), Mahrez (9), Jesus (8) Substitutes: Ederson, Walker, Sterling (7), Gündogan (7), Laporte, Sané, Bernabe (N/A) Star Man - Phil Foden Foden was undoubtedly the man for City in this match and has likely impressed his manager a lot, albeit against lower league opposition. The precocious midfielder carved open Oxford's defence with an incredible cross-field pass that put Mahrez on goal for City's second and took the third for himself. Foden's goal was the first of his senior City career but he will hope it's the first of many and, given his immense talent, that could well be the case. What a ball Phil Foden! Past 3 players and straight at Mahrez's feet. Take a bow son, take a bow  pic.twitter.com/JPrc2oAzoP — Akio Fernandes  (@BlueWolf_69) September 25, 2018 ​​ What an Assist Phil Foden... Don’t stop scoring Riyad Mahrez 0-2 #ManCity — Rishav Singh (@rish2094) September 25, 2018 Worst Player: Very difficult to pick City's worst player as everyone played well up to standard, but considering Muric's error could have led to an equaliser for the home side, we'll have to pin this one on him despite his otherwise great performance. Looking Ahead City are looking strong again after their slip against Lyon in the Champions League last week. They bounced back with a convincing win over Cardiff City on the weekend and have just beaten Oxford rather soundly. Guardiola's men do have a couple of tough fixtures after their match against Brighton on the weekend, though, with Hoffenheim up next in the Champions League and current Premier League leaders Liverpool set to host them after.