MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 (Agg: 5-1) NEWCASTLE: Pep Guardiola’s side were relentless as they made their first-leg advantage count with Omar Marmoush grabbing a brace at the Etihad
Manchester City were preparing for the Carabao Cup final by half-time of their second-leg after tearing Newcastle apart with Arsenal now standing between them and another Wembley success.
Pep Guardiola‘s side wasted no time pressing home the two-goal advantage they held from the first-leg as Omar Marmoush put them in front inside ten minutes. The Egyptian was tasked with leading the line and saw the ball fire in off of him following a last-ditch Dan Burn tackle – which left Aaron Ramsdale with no chance.
Marmoush doubled his tally for the night – his fifth goal against the Magpies in two Etihad outings – as he headed into what was effectively an empty net.
James Trafford was handed a rare start and inside the first 20 minutes he denied Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon as they bared down on goal – opportunities the visitors would regret passing up.
Tijjani Reijnders had City five goals up on aggregate by the break as he finished neatly having broke the Newcastle high press once again.
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The Magpies saw Anthony Gordon forced off in the first-half as the winger went down with a muscle issue, giving Eddie Howe further cause for concerns with his side sitting in the bottom half.
The visitors rung the changes in the second-half, knowing their hopes were all but gone, and did grab a consolation via Anthony Elanga. The summer signing is yet to click into gear but showed the pace, directness and finishing qualities that saw Newcastle pay north of £50million to secure his services. The ex-Nottingham Forest winger should’ve added to his tally, but some slack finishing meant the visitors couldn’t ramp up the pressure.
Here’s five talking points on what was a relatively routine night for City – who will make a 22nd Wembley appearance of the Guardiola era.
Blockbuster final awaits
Rarely does the Carabao Cup final offer us the chance to see the Premier League’s top two sides going at it, but that will likely be the case when City do take on Arsenal at Wembley. Beyond the occasion itself, the contest will boast a number of subplots with the business end of the season approaching.
City, and particularly Guardiola, have been dominant in this competition and another success will not only add to their trophy tally but also provide a boost ahead of the final months – which could also plant a seed of doubt in the minds of their rivals. For Arsenal they’ll need to rid of the nagging doubt regarding their inability to win a trophy, and a win could also kill off any hopes City may have of the title. All eyes therefore on March 15.
Marmoush’s stoke of luck
For a man who started with a bang, things have slowed down. The Egyptian was a huge hit when he arrived this time last year from Frankfurt and among his early exploits was a hat-trick against Newcastle at the Etihad. He finished last season with eight goals – and he only played half a campaign.
This year minutes have been harder to come by and he’s looked less impressive than he initially did. But tasked with leading the line, you wouldn’t have known Marmoush was playing with anything but full confidence. His first goal, which had its fair share of luck, got him rolling and he immediately looked like the player who terrorised defences last year.
Trafford presses his case
Guardiola has already been quizzed on the prospect of Trafford leaving Manchester less than a year after he signed from Burnley. The irony being Newcastle were heavily linked with the goalkeeper before he headed back to his former club – little did he know Gianluigi Donnarumma was inbound.
That has limited his opportunities but he lacked no match sharpness and, despite trailing 3-0 at half-time, Newcastle may have thought they could have been in the game had it not been for the Englishman, who produced some big saves. No doubt failing to secure a clean sheet will have dampened his night, but his display may gives Guardiola food for thought or another club added motivation to go after him.
Newcastle’s fightback
They may not have fought back on the scoreline, Elanga’s goal was little more than a consolation, but it is easy to look at the scoreline and think it was one way traffic and Howe is back to the drawing board. Instead there’s enough for them to take back to the north east.
Trafford’s impressive first-half denied them a goal or two and in the second 45 they gave as good as they got, albeit the game was gone by that point. If anything the visiting supporters should’ve had more to celebrate and if it wasn’t for the odd offside call and some questionable finishing who knows how nervy they could’ve made the Etihad feel.
Pep’s swansong?
This week talk of Guardiola’s departure has ramped up. Last year he went trophyless for the first time sicne 2016/17 and he’ll be desperate to avoid a repeat. Manuel Pellegrini left as City boss in 2016 and said goodbye with a Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley.
There’s been no word from City over what the future holds, after all Guardiola does have another year on his deal. It does seem inconceivable though that one of the greatest managers to ever grace these shores won’t land another piece of silverware before he does call it a day.
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