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Manchester City cruised into the Carabao Cup final with a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, sealing a 5-1 aggregate win in the semi-final tie.
City, sitting comfortably near the top of the Premier League and chasing silverware across multiple competitions, dominated from the start.
Newcastle, mid-table in the league and still juggling injury woes, knew this was a tough assignment against Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning champions.
Read more: Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 in dramatic late victory, cruise into Carabao cup final
The hosts struck early as Omar Marmoush opened the scoring in the 7th minute, getting City’s fans roaring before doubling his tally later in the first half to put the pressure squarely back on Newcastle.
According to Safescore.com, less than five minutes after Marmoush’s second, Tijjani Reijnders added a third to make it 3-0 inside the first 32 minutes, effectively ending the tie before half-time.
Newcastle responded after the break, with substitute Anthony Elanga pulling a goal back, but it offered little more than consolation as City controlled the rhythm of the remainder of the match.
Throughout the first half, City’s pressing and movement unsettled Newcastle’s defence, forcing errors and capitalising on quick transitions a performance Guardiola later described as “complete and ruthless.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted his side struggled to impose themselves and lamented the number of chances they let slip, but he vowed to regroup ahead of a busy fixture list.
The result sets up a Carabao Cup final date with Arsenal at Wembley on March 22, a high-profile showdown between England’s two most in-form sides this season.
Contributed by Emmanuel Lungu
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