Manchester City 3 (5)-(1) 1 Newcastle United: Three things we learned

Manchester City came out on top against Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, sealing their place in the Carabao Cup final with victory over two legs.

By Liam Rafferty

Newcastle failed to retain the Carabao Cup trophy, but it was always going to be a huge task for Newcastle manager Eddie Howe’s side against manager Pep Guardiola’s City.

Omar Marmoush’s first-half double and Tijjani Reijnders’ strike saw City race into a 3-0 lead by half-time.

Anthony Elanga eventually got Newcastle on the scoresheet in the second half, but by then the tie was effectively over, with City holding a commanding 5–1 aggregate lead.

They will now face Arsenal in the final.

Here are three things we learned from the game.

'The first leg made the task almost impossible'

Newcastle’s poor record at the Etihad Stadium is well documented, with their last victory there coming back in 2014, when former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew’s side beat City 2-0 in the League Cup thanks to goals from Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko.

Because of that history, many Newcastle supporters viewed this second leg as a near write-off, with a positive result at St James’ Park seen as the Magpies’ best chance of reaching the final.

Although Newcastle had beaten City 2-1 in the league earlier this season, the 2–0 defeat in the first leg left them with an almost impossible task.

'A makeshift midfield struggled'

With Brazilian duo Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton unavailable, Howe was forced to field a midfield trio of Sandro Tonali, Jacob Ramsey and Joe Willock.

At times, the unit looked disjointed, and Newcastle lacked their usual intensity and aggression in the middle of the park. This allowed City to exploit the space and control the game with ease.

The sooner Guimaraes and Joelinton return, the stronger and more competitive Howe’s side will look.

'Newcastle failed to take their chances'

There is no denying City’s quality. Guardiola was able to field players such as Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Reijnders and Marmoush, while leaving out Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

That said, Newcastle created opportunities.

The Magpies registered 12 shots, five of which were on target, with several chances coming early in the game. Ultimately, their failure to convert those moments proved costly against a ruthless City side.

Attention now turns to Brentford.