Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth: Carabao Cup holders book fourth-round trip to Burnley

A 17-year-old who unusually combines brute force with finesse and pace has been the talk of Manchester City’s training ground for months. Now the word is well and truly out.

Liam Delap announced himself with a stunning goal on his senior debut on Thursday night. He is a fearless striker whose highlights are racking up the hits on YouTube and he is firmly in Pep Guardiola’s first-team group.

‘Believe me, he is a pain in the a***,’ one City source said with a smile, hours before Delap was leaving something on Bournemouth’s defenders. The young battering ram ended the night with a booking and a goal, which is Delap in a nutshell: doing the nasty stuff — then showing moments of genuine class.

His father, Rory Delap, was in the Colin Bell Stand, a few yards to Guardiola’s left. A coach at Stoke, he had sneaked in on a scout’s pass. The Potters do not face Bournemouth until January.

His excuse for being here was fooling nobody, but who could blame him? Missing such a momentous night was not an option and he waited only 18 minutes for a burst of family pride.

Guardiola’s grin and applause were right in his eyeline as Delap Jnr perfected a knee slide in the opposite corner of the Etihad.

Phil Foden was the first to race over in congratulation. That was him not so long ago, of course, and the midfielder’s vision created the chance. Receiving a pass with his right foot and then, with the ball still airborne, volleying inside Jack Simpson allowed Delap to gallop, curling into the far corner with his weaker left foot. Delap had pointed where he wanted the pass. A confident lad. A goal engineered by City’s academy.

City have a few of those, Foden in particular, with both Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez failing to capitalise on the 20-year-old’s ingenuity. Mark Travers did well on both occasions and Delap ought to have doubled his tally from Kyle Walker’s cross.

Guardiola reserves more regard for this competition than most, the early spring trip to Wembley becoming an annual tradition in these parts. Yet in the opening rounds, kids still usually get a go. Just never this many simultaneously. Five teenagers on the pitch was a good look for a club in search of a fourth consecutive Carabao Cup.

Bournemouth, who were not at full strength themselves, were indebted to Travers and equalised on 22 minutes. David Brooks broke from midfield with gusto, Eric Garcia ending up on his backside, and Sam Surridge held off Adrian Bernabe’s rather feeble challenge to strike across debutant Zack Steffen. Bernabe would later leave proceedings on a stretcher in tears with a worrying knee injury.

Jason Tindall’s side were potent on the break, Surridge showing why he boasts caps at Under-21 level with England and Brooks forever a menace. Kevin De Bruyne was sent for from the bench, Foden pushed up front. Raheem Sterling entered for the tidy Tommy Doyle; there was no doubting that City wanted to progress.

Finally, they did. Mahrez struck the post with 15 minutes left, but poor Travers was left helpless as Foden stabbed the rebound into the turf and bouncing over him.