FATHERHOOD might be a whole new bawl game for Shaun Wright-Phillips but scoring goals is coming as easily as it ever has done.

The 19-year-old, who became a proud dad for the first time last week, rattled in a quickfire double last night to leave Sir Alex Ferguson's latest fledglings nursing red faces.

In the process Wright-Phillips put down a clear marker in the race to replace the injured Paulo Wanchope in the Blues attack.

The youngster has not often appeared in such a thrusting role for City but he proved a marvellous rapier to Leon Mike's broadsword as the Maine Road second string coasted to the easiest of Manchester Senior Cup victories.

Kevin Keegan, Willie Donachie, Stuart Pearce and Arthur Cox were all at Ewen Fields to see Wright-Phillips display his star quality.

It bubbled to the surface in the first minute when he burst down the right, evaded two mesmerised challengers and fired in a low cross that Chris Shuker came agonisingly close to converting.

Impressive

And it got better and better for Wright-Phillips who blew his first-team chance against Crewe in August.

He showed he was ready to be elevated back into Keegan's thinking in the 28th minute when first the impressive Tony Grant and then Terry Dunfield produced slide rule passes to send him racing through the middle from where he finished with great aplomb.

Ten minutes later, the ball nestled in the exact same spot after another Grant through ball had invited the teenager to race around 'keeper Ben Williams.

That made the score 3-0 because Wright-Phillips' willing strike partner Mike had already opened the City account from a tight angle in the eighth minute.

A less experienced United were seldom a threat but when they managed to mount an attack, they found Alfie Haaland enjoying his comeback in the heart of the Blues rearguard.

Playing for the first time since he led the side to Premiership victory over West Ham United last April, Haaland looked sharp and assured in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch.

Better still, he later reported no ill-effects for the outing and will probably have one more 90 minute session with the second string before Keegan has to seriously consider bringing him back.

The second half was, at least compared to the first, a bit of an anti-climax though City saved some of their best until last, scoring twice more in the final four minutes.

Tyrone Mears was the architect of the fourth when he raced to the goal-line and pulled ball back sharply for substitute Joey Barton to convert from 15 yards and then the influential Grant - no doubt attracting the attention of the watching scouts - made it five with a spectacular 25-yarder that Williams could only help into the roof of his net.

There was good news, too, for Keegan in the goalkeeping department as Carlo Nash put in a faultless display of kicking and catching in only his second game back after a kidney operation.