Oliver Reiss was thrilled that his side started the year with a 5-2 victory over Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup.
Manchester City’s Under-18s progressed to the fifth round of the prestigious cup competition after a convincing victory at the Joie Stadium.

The Blues showcased a clinical first half with goals from Kaden Braithwaite, Tyrone Samba and Christian Dunbar-McDonald seeing us lead by four goals.

But we wouldn’t record a clean sheet as Max Hudson conceded a penalty late into the first half as Ceadach O’Neill netted.

Match report | City 5-2 Arsenal

It wasn’t until the 85th minute where we would see another goal with Brando Bailey-Joseph firing home.

Then, 15-year-old Xavier Parker rounded off the scoring in the fifth minute of added time to safely secure our passage into the fifth round where we face Chelsea.

Speaking after the match, Lead Coach Reiss said he was pleased with his side’s performance.

“I’m very happy. Especially with the first half and the way we started this game,” he said.

“It was the first game of this year and yes some of the lads aren’t used to playing in this stadium, in front of a crowd and with a special atmosphere also.

“Nearly the whole first half we were quite good.”

It was also a special occasion that saw his side play at the Joie Stadium which hosts our FA Youth Cup games.

“I think for the lads, for me, you can feel this the whole week we’ve been looking forward to playing this game of course and it’s always enjoyable,” Reiss added.

“We like to be here.”

Watch Reiss’ post-match reaction in full via the video above...