Manchester City booked their place in the Carabao Cup final today with a commanding 3–1 win over Newcastle United at the Etihad, completing a 5–1 aggregate victory that never truly felt in doubt after a blistering first half. Omar Marmoush was the headline act, scoring twice and tormenting Newcastle’s back line with movement and aggression, while Tijjani Reijnders added a third before the interval to turn the second leg into a formality. Newcastle did respond after the break through Anthony Elanga, but the damage had already been done, and City calmly managed the closing stages to set up a Wembley showdown with Arsenal.
Newcastle arrived needing something close to a perfect start to revive the tie, and for a few early moments they did show intent, pressing higher and trying to force City into rushed passes. But the opening goal arrived so quickly it knocked the belief out of the contest. Marmoush struck inside the first 10 minutes, taking advantage of a loose defensive sequence and finishing with the kind of confidence City have been searching for in big moments. The goal gave the home side control of the night and forced Newcastle into chasing spaces that City are tailor-made to exploit.
City’s second was even more damaging because it came when Newcastle were beginning to settle. Marmoush attacked the box again, this time getting on the end of a dangerous delivery and finishing from close range to make it 2–0 on the night and stretch the aggregate gap beyond reach. Newcastle were wobbling, and City smelled blood. Before the half was out, they made it three: a slick move down the right ended with Reijnders arriving to finish decisively, sending City into the break 3–0 up in the match and effectively ending any suspense.
Despite the scoreline, Newcastle did have moments — and they’ll be haunted by them. Joe Willock had a big chance he couldn’t convert, Anthony Gordon threatened on transitions without landing the decisive touch, and Elanga later missed two clear openings that might have made the final half-hour far more uncomfortable for City. At the other end, City goalkeeper James Trafford produced important saves at key times, ensuring Newcastle never got the early second-half goal they needed to turn anxiety into pressure.
Newcastle’s consolation did arrive just after the hour when Elanga finished well to make it 3–1, briefly lifting the away end and giving the visitors something to build on. For a short spell, Newcastle played with more freedom, pushed higher and tried to turn the game into a scrap. But City managed that phase smartly, slowing the tempo, keeping the ball, and choosing moments to break rather than forcing the issue. With the tie essentially settled, Guardiola was able to rotate and protect legs without surrendering control, and City saw out the win with minimal late drama.
After the match, Pep Guardiola praised his side’s professionalism and the way they handled Newcastle’s physicality and intensity, pointing to the quality of City’s first-half work as the platform for everything that followed. He also highlighted Marmoush’s contribution, not just for the goals but for the way he led the line and attacked spaces relentlessly, describing it as the kind of performance that can define a cup run.
Eddie Howe, meanwhile, focused on the brutal difference between the two teams in both boxes. He felt Newcastle did create chances across the two legs, but admitted they were punished heavily for defensive lapses and a lack of clinical finishing at decisive moments. Howe also stressed that conceding early made the task almost impossible, and acknowledged that City’s ruthlessness in the first half took the tie away from them completely.
City move on with momentum and a date at Wembley on the horizon, while Newcastle are left to reflect on a semi-final that drifted away through a combination of missed opportunities and a first-half collapse they never recovered from.
