Manchester City 5 Notts County 0: Vieira is free to influence City’s progress to home tie with Villa

Vieira, however, does have form in this competition, winning the famous trophy four times with Arsenal and scoring the decisive goal in a penalty shoot-out on the last of those occasions in 2005.

But with City’s £50m strikeforce of Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko struggling to trouble a team 59 places below them it was left to veteran Vieira to score with headers either side of half-time.

That gave Roberto Mancini’s side the breathing space they needed, having weathered an early storm, and substitute Carlos Tevez, Dzeko and Micah Richards all scored in the final six minutes to distort the scoreline. City will play a delayed fifth-round tie at home to Aston Villa.

Despite the scoreline there was no shame in this defeat for County who, as they did in the first meeting at Meadow Lane three weeks ago, took the attack to their more illustrious opponents early on.

Had they enjoyed more fortune they would have had much more to show for an opening period of domination than Karl Hawley’s shot which rebounded back off a post.

“In the first half an hour Notts County played very well,” admitted City manager Mancini, who felt the club’s Europa League trip to Greece last Tuesday affected their performance.

“It was an important win. I think for us it (the FA Cup) is important.

“We started the game so slowly because when you play every three days it is difficult to play 100 per cent in every game.

“But after we scored it changed the game. We had more chances in the second half and it was important we scored those goals.”

Mancini was pleased to see 34-year-old Vieira making important contributions, while he was also happy with the progress of £27m January signing Dzeko – who should have scored a second in second-half stoppage time but hit his shot too close to goalkeeper Stuart Nelson.

Notts County boss Paul Ince felt his side were unlucky not to be ahead before City scored but admitted they needed to take their opportunities to have a chance of beating their Premier League opponents.

“I thought we did ever so well and with a bit of luck we could have been 1-0 in front,” said the former England midfielder.

“That is what you need when you come to places like this,” he added.

“We started well and at times it felt like a home game.”