Manchester City have set up a mouth-watering Carabao Cup final against Premier League leaders Arsenal after sweeping aside holders Newcastle with a dominant 5-1 aggregate victory in the semi-finals.
Eddie Howe’s side arrived at the Etihad Stadium trailing 2-0 from the first leg and in need of something extraordinary, but their hopes were dented almost immediately. Omar Marmoush struck inside six minutes, putting City firmly in control and sending them on course for a 10th appearance in the competition’s final.
Starting ahead of Erling Haaland, Marmoush reacted quickest to pounce and saw his effort take a deflection before looping over Aaron Ramsdale and into the net. Newcastle’s goalkeeper was then forced into a superb stop to deny Tijjani Reijnders soon after.
The visitors did threaten a response, but James Trafford produced excellent interventions to deny Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon. Those missed chances proved costly as City took full advantage soon after.
Marmoush doubled his tally with a close-range header around the half-hour mark, before Reijnders capitalised on a loose ball just before the break to effectively put the tie to bed and allow the home crowd a comfortable second half.
Newcastle did find a response after the restart when Anthony Elanga curled home a fine strike on 62 minutes, while Harvey Barnes later had an effort ruled out. However, the contest was already beyond them as Pep Guardiola’s side cruised through to the final, scheduled for Sunday, March 22 at Wembley.
In a week filled with speculation surrounding Guardiola’s future, City delivered a ruthless performance to secure another shot at silverware.
The Etihad rang out with chants of “Wembley again” at full-time, as City prepared for their 22nd visit to the national stadium since Guardiola took charge in 2016.
Their most recent final in London ended in disappointment with a surprise FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, but Guardiola will now have the chance to respond by chasing what would be the 19th trophy of his managerial career.
It also sets up a fascinating duel with former assistant Mikel Arteta, who will be desperate to derail his old mentor and end Arsenal’s reputation as perennial nearly-men.
The final will pit the top two teams in English football against each other, with Arsenal holding a six-point advantage at the top of the Premier League and eager to land a psychological blow.
Newcastle’s task had already been steep after Rayan Cherki’s late strike in the first leg put City firmly ahead, and Marmoush’s early brace in the return fixture extinguished any lingering hope.
The Egyptian forward could have completed a hat-trick, only to be denied by Ramsdale, but the result extended City’s remarkable dominance over Newcastle. They have now won 18 of their last 19 meetings since 2014, including 12 consecutive victories.
History offered little comfort to the holders. No team has ever reached a Carabao Cup final after losing the first leg at home by two or more goals, and Newcastle have managed just one win at the Etihad.
This tie unraveled quickly for Howe’s side. Despite Trafford’s strong display, Newcastle were repeatedly opened up in the first half as gaps appeared while chasing an unlikely comeback.
Their midfield was overrun, and a tiring back five struggled to contain Marmoush. One moment summed up the night, with Dan Burn slumping to the turf, hands on his face, after City’s third goal went in.
By then, gallows humour had taken hold among the travelling fans, who joked about a miraculous comeback that never came.
After losing Gordon to injury, Howe made three changes at the break in an attempt to spark a response. Newcastle did improve, highlighted by Elanga’s individual goal, and ended a long wait to score at the Etihad.
They even spurned further chances, but this heavy defeat was a far cry from how they would have wanted to surrender the trophy they had waited so long to lift.
City now turn their attention to a Premier League trip to champions Liverpool on Sunday, while Newcastle host Brentford on Saturday evening.
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