A brace from Lukas Nmecha and goals from Aleix Garcia and Bersant Celina gave the Blues a 4-0 lead at half-time before substitute David Faupala completed the rout in the final ten minutes at the Academy Stadium.
In a thoroughly dominant performance, it was a deserved triumph for Patrick Vieira’s side who claimed an early foothold in the game and refused to relinquish it. At times, City were simply a class apart from their opponents and crucially, were clinical in front of goal.
Previously winless in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League this season and on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Sunderland last weekend, the Blues prepared for the visit of Middlesbrough as a potentially tricky test.
Vieira made five changes from the side that lost at the Hetton Centre on Sunday, as Billy O’Brien, Kean Bryan, Tosin Adarabioyo, Brandon Barker and James Horsfield were replaced by Angus Gunn, Pablo Maffeo, Ellis Plummer and Cameron Humphreys.
Will Patching was also brought in to make his first start for the under-21s while Nmecha shrugged off a knock which forced him off last weekend, to lead the line upfront.
The two points the young Blues had collected in the league had been a result of last-gasp salvages of draws – so a quick start in this one would be very welcome.
That’s just what they received, as the deadlock was broken within a minute of kick-off.
Garcia was the goalscorer, collecting the ball on the edge of the box before drilling it through goalkeeper Luke Coddington and into the back of the net.
It was almost 2-0 four minutes later but Nmecha struck the bar, and Thierry Ambrose headed wide from close range after a fine team move.
Coddington then produced an excellent stop to deny Nmecha before City’s dominance was eventually rewarded with a two-goal cushion. Patching was the creator, slipping the ball through to Celina, who opened his body up and made no mistake with the first-time finish.
Rampant and full of confidence, the Blues netted a third on the half-hour mark. Skipper George Glendon tried his luck from distance and the shot was parried by Coddington into the path of Nmecha, who somehow looped in the rebound.
The striker then saw a header well-saved but he didn’t have to wait long for his second of the night, as he adjusted well to find the bottom corner three minutes before the break.
Gunn was called into action for the first time in injury time at the end of the half, tipping over Jordan Jones’ effort and collecting Matty Elsdon’s header from the resulting corner.
With a lot to live up to, and as so often is the case, the second half never matched the first in terms of its intensity and the number of chances created.
Celina may have added to the tally when he blazed over - though equally Gunn had to be alert to thwart Yanic Wildschut at the other end.
Nmecha perhaps should have completed his hat-trick with 15 minutes to go when he misdirected a header away from goal, before the visitors pulled one back moments later through substitute Harrison Chapman.
With ten minutes remaining though, City restored their four-goal advantage courtesy of Faupala, who - like Nmecha - netted his first EDS goal, connecting with fellow substitute Demeaco Duhaney‘s cross to convert in off the post and top an excellent night for Vieira’s side.
