Match Report: Manchester City 3 (5)–(1) 1 Newcastle United

Newcastle United and manager Eddie Howe’s Carabao Cup defence ended in the semi-finals against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

By Liam Rafferty

The tie was effectively over when Manchester City scored early in the seventh minute through Omar Marmoush. Dan Burn was very unlucky as the ball deflected off him and looped over Aaron Ramsdale into the back of Newcastle United’s net.

In the 29th minute, Marmoush doubled his tally for the night. Antoine Semenyo played a ball in from the left-hand side into the path of Marmoush, and he slotted it past Ramsdale.

Four minutes later, Tijjani Reijnders scored after a devastating counter-attack, and ‘City’ had one foot in Wembley.

Anthony Elanga scored his first-ever Newcastle United goal in the 62nd minute, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.

Guardiola made six changes from the side that had drawn at Tottenham on Sunday. Marc Guehi was ineligible and Bernardo Silva was out with injury, while Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rodri, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland dropped to the bench.

Howe, meanwhile, was without several key players. Sven Botman was fit to start for Newcastle, allowing Howe to revert to the three-man defence that had seen them match Paris Saint-Germain the previous week. Botman was one of three fresh faces from the weekend defeat to Liverpool, with Nick Woltemade also coming in, alongside goalkeeper Ramsdale. Nick Pope, Elanga and Harvey Barnes were named on the bench. Newcastle were still without injured captain Bruno Guimaraēs, Joelinton and Tino Livramento.

Newcastle had a big chance to equalise straight after Marmoush’s opening goal when the ball found Anthony Gordon. He played it into Joe Willock, who attempted to go around the goalkeeper, but James Trafford came out on top.

In the 21st minute, Gordon again found himself one-on-one with Trafford, and once more the English goalkeeper won the battle.

Newcastle had a goal disallowed in the 68th minute when Yoane Wissa was caught in the offside trap. Despite continuing to push forward, Wissa and Elanga both had big chances in the second half but were unable to convert, as Newcastle’s Carabao Cup hopes came to an end.

Aston Villa in 1993–94 remain the only team to have overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit in an EFL Cup semi-final, a feat the 'Magpies' were unable to replicate, whilst Guardiola sought his fifth Carabao Cup.