Ruthless Manchester City Thump Newcastle to Reach League Cup Final

Manchester City booked their place in the League Cup final with a commanding 3–1 victory over Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, completing a comprehensive 5–1 aggregate win in the semi-final.

Omar Marmoush was the standout performer on the night, scoring twice as Pep Guardiola’s side dismantled Newcastle with a devastating first-half display. Tijjani Reijnders also found the net as City set up a Wembley showdown against Arsenal on 22 March, where Guardiola will face his former assistant, Mikel Arteta.

“We showed a very good mentality,” Marmoush told Sky Sports after the match. “We stayed together as a team and were fully focused from the first minute. We are here to win trophies, and we give everything every day to reach finals like this and lift silverware. Hopefully we can do that for the new players and those who have been here longer.”

Trailing 2–0 from the first leg, Newcastle’s task became even more daunting when City struck early. Marmoush opened the scoring inside six minutes, his shot deflecting off Dan Burn and beyond the goalkeeper.

The Egyptian forward doubled his tally soon after, rising from close range to head home Antoine Semenyo’s cross. The goal took Marmoush’s season total to 12 for City, with five of those strikes coming against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.

City’s dominance continued, and they added a third goal before half-time, with Semenyo again instrumental as he teed up Reijnders to finish clinically and all but end the contest before the interval.

Newcastle offered a brief response just after the hour mark when substitute Anthony Elanga displayed quick footwork to create space and curl a fine effort past James Trafford. However, any hopes of a comeback quickly faded as Elanga squandered two gilt-edged chances, including a remarkable miss from point-blank range.

At the other end, Erling Haaland came close to adding a fourth for City, striking the post as the hosts continued to apply pressure.

City’s progression sees them reach another League Cup final, having won the competition four consecutive times between 2018 and 2021. They have lifted the trophy on eight occasions in total, with only Liverpool claiming more victories in the tournament’s history.

Arsenal, their opponents at Wembley, have not won the League Cup for 33 years and have lifted the trophy twice previously, setting the stage for a compelling final between two of English football’s dominant forces.