MK Dons triumphed in the Emirates FA Cup First Round, beating Taunton Town 6-0 as Mo Eisa scores in his Stadium MK return.
Eisa scored the fourth of six goals from Liam Manning's men, who led by two at the break thanks to finishes from Dawson Devoy and Will Grigg.
Darragh Burns added a third early in the second half before Eisa's stunning strike. Conor Grant also came off the bench to score twice and seal a convincing Stadium MK success.
Team news
Liam Manning made four changes from the draw with Cheltenham Town, with Franco Ravizzoli, Jack Tucker, Dawson Devoy and Darragh Burns all introduced in to the starting XI.
Tennai Watson made his comeback and was among the substitutes along with Mo Eisa and David Martin.
First-Half
MK Dons controlled possession within the opening five minutes of the fixture, this allowed Will Grigg to win a free-kick on the edge of the box. Dawson Devoy stepped over it, the midfielder powered a shot through two Taunton bodies and found the back of the net before Bycroft had a chance to get across his goalmouth. 1-0
Shortly after the opener, Lewington cut a pass through the opposition’s defence from his own half. The pass located Daniel Harvie, but the number 21’s initial touch ran away from the player.
Another early success for the Dons, who increased their lead to two, 12 minutes into the game. Lewington, once again, played a well-placed pass into the path of Harvie, the wing-back cut the ball across to Will Grigg and the forward made no mistake as he doubled the lead from close-range. 2-0
20 Minutes had gone, and Liam Manning’s men comfortably dominated possession. They used the ball to constantly shift the Peacocks’ shape, which allowed the home side to craft many chances going forward.
The two-goal advantage didn’t stop MK Dons from applying relentless pressure in the visitor’s final-third.
Minutes before the interval, Darragh Burns claimed the ball in the middle of the field, Taunton’s high line allowed the number 20 to play through Louie Barry. Barry skipped past his defender, but his shot which followed was met by a strong left glove from Jack Bycroft.
The Fourth Official indicated an extra minute of play before the conclusion of the first-half.
Second-Half
Liam Manning’s men replicated their first-half start with a goal in the opening five minutes.
Devoy, who had the ball in the middle of the field played an incredible pass over Taunton’s defence towards Darragh Burns. The winger then controlled the pass just as well as it was delivered into the box and smashed the ball past Bycroft into the inside of the left netting. 3-0
Merely minutes after the third goal, Louie Barry had his shooting chance saved onto the post, the visitors then cleared any further danger.
MK Dons defender Tennai Watson made his return to the field on the 60-minute mark after being side-lined with a long-term injury.
Substitute Mo Eisa found himself at a tight angle on the left side of the area, his effort creeped past the far post. The forward made his third appearance since his return from injury.
Eisa scored his first goal of the season in incredible fashion. The number ten collected the ball on the edge of the area, he then used his right boot to unleash a rocket of a shot, which bulged the top-right corner of the net. This granted the Dons a 4-0 lead over Taunton Town, 15 minutes before the end of the match.
Liam Manning’s men continued their ruthlessness and didn’t take their foot off the pedal, this allowed Conor Grant to enter the scoresheet.
Lawrence sliced a pass through the Peacock’s defence, which met the well-timed run of Grant, who found himself one-on-one with Bycroft. Taunton’s defence were stuck as the number 16 fired it home and increased the lead to 5-0.
Minutes later, Grant claimed his brace. The number 16, who had only been on the field for ten minutes, curled his shot round the opposition’s goalkeeper and gave Liam Manning’s men a six-goal advantage. 6-0
A late scare for the home side as Taunton created their closest chance of the fixture, though, the effort glimpsed over the target.
MK Dons secured their progression into the second-round of the tournament with a six-goal display, whilst Franco Ravizolli maintained his fourth clean sheet for the club.
***
MK Dons: Ravizolli, Lewington (C), Tucker, O’Hora, McEachran, Grigg (Eisa 60), Barry (Holland 60), Burns (Grant 72), Harvie (Watson 60), Lawrence, Devoy
Subs: Martin, Robson, Oyegoke, Dennis, Jules
Goals: Devoy 5, Grigg 12, Burns 48, Eisa 74, Grant 82, 85
Taunton Town: Bycroft, Foulston, Grimes (C), Ball, Chamberlain, James (Budd 78), Jarvis (Stearn 82), McCootie (Sims-Burgess 65), Guest (Staley 82), Smith, Lucas (Morgan 65)
Subs: Irish, Wannell
Attendance: 2,739 (908)
