Manchester City wins 8-0 against Salford City in the FA Cup; Liverpool routs Accrington Stanley

Premier League teams dominate FA Cup third round with big wins, showcasing their superiority over lower league opposition.

Manchester City routed fourth-division Salford City 8-0 in the FA Cup as Premier League teams flexed their muscles against lower league opposition on Saturday (January 11, 2025).

Shocks were in short supply as Liverpool and Chelsea booked their place in the next round with heavy wins. Brighton, Bournemouth and Leicester also romped to victories. Those six clubs scored a combined 32 goals.

The third round is traditionally one of the most anticipated weekends in English soccer as top flight clubs enter the competition with the prospect of upsets. But it was a day when the might of the Premier League was underlined, with high-flying Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton also going through.

The biggest shock was Brentford's 1-0 loss to the bottom team in division two, Plymouth.

City showed no mercy against neighbor Salford, which is co-owned by Manchester United icons David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville and Nicky Butt.

Despite resting a number of star players, Pep Guardiola’s four-time defending Premier League champion was rampant at Etihad Stadium, with rising talent James McAtee hitting a second half hat trick. City prospects Divin Mubama and Nico O’Reilly also made the score sheet.

"They were incredible — commitment, aggressive — there were so many things that I liked,” Guardiola said. “With everyone (there) was respect. You cannot win by that margin if you don’t respect the opponent.”