Manchester City’s FA Cup starlets earned the Blues a win to kick off a Premier League 2 title charge.
City ’s under-23 side held on for a 5-3 win at Blackburn despite the home side threatening a storming fightback with three goals in the last 15 minutes.
But the City youngsters had done enough to win the game, and goals from Kayky (2), James McAtee and Oscar Bobb - who were all in the squad for the senior side’s 4-1 FA Cup win at Swindon on Friday night - did the damage before sub Adedire Mebude made sure with a late fifth goal.
McAtee played the last 25 minutes at the County Ground, while Kayky was introduced as a late sub for his City debut and 18-year-old Bobb remained on the bench.
But all three were in the starting XI as a City side that has suffered from injury problems, Covid isolation and first-team call-ups all season kicked off 2022 in style against the league’s bottom side.
Bobb set the ball rolling from the penalty spot on 20 minutes after Kane Taylor had been felled, and 12 minutes later Kayky capitalised on some hesitant Rovers defending to strike a low, hard second goal from the edge of the box.
A neat solo third from the 18-year-old Brazilian had City cruising at 3-0 up at halftime - he danced through the defence and finished expertly to seemingly wrap up the win.
McAtee seemed to have confirmed the victory when he shimmied past two defenders and tucked a shot under the goalkeeper to make it four, just five minutes after the break.
But Blackburn belied their lowly status to score three times in the last 15 minutes and threaten a remarkable comeback - and it was not until Mebude added a fifth for City in added time that the points were safe.
The win sees City leapfrog Tottenham into second place, just a point behind leaders West Ham, who have two games in hand, the first of them against struggling Leeds tomorrow.
