Manchester City Cruise Past Newcastle to Reach Carabao Cup Final
Manchester City powered into the Carabao Cup final after beating Newcastle United 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium, sealing a dominant 5-1 aggregate victory.
Omar Marmoush starred with two first-half goals, while Tijjani Reijnders also found the net as Pep Guardiola’s side set up a Wembley showdown with Premier League leaders Arsenal. Anthony Elanga pulled one back for Newcastle in the second half, but the tie was already beyond Eddie Howe’s side.
Marmoush Double Puts City in Complete Control
Newcastle arrived needing something special to overturn the deficit, but City quickly extinguished any hopes of a comeback.
Marmoush opened the scoring after just seven minutes, benefiting from a fortunate deflection that looped over goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale after a challenge from Dan Burn.
The Egyptian forward struck again before the half-hour mark, heading home from close range after Kieran Trippier’s attempted clearance ballooned into the air following Antoine Semenyo’s dangerous delivery.
With momentum firmly on City’s side, Reijnders added a third soon after. The Dutch midfielder drove forward on a counterattack and calmly finished following another attack involving Semenyo, effectively ending the contest before half-time.
Newcastle Struggle as Gordon Injury Adds to Problems
Newcastle’s night went from bad to worse when forward Anthony Gordon was forced off with an injury before the break.
The visitors had earlier threatened through Joe Willock and Gordon himself, but City goalkeeper James Trafford remained solid when called upon. Sven Botman also tested Trafford with a header, though Newcastle rarely looked capable of overturning the deficit.
Elanga Sparks Brief Fightback as City Ease Off
Newcastle showed more urgency after the restart and eventually found a breakthrough through Elanga, who produced a brilliant individual run before curling a low finish into the corner just after the hour mark.
The Swedish winger nearly added another shortly afterwards but miscued his effort when played through by Harvey Barnes.
Despite showing defensive vulnerability late in the game — a trend that may concern Guardiola — City comfortably held on, with substitute Erling Haaland going close to adding further goals in the closing stages.
Wembley Awaits as City End Newcastle Trophy Defence
City’s victory secures their place at Wembley, where they will face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. The result also ends Newcastle’s hopes of defending the trophy, leaving Howe’s side to focus on their domestic and European ambitions.
