Manchester City are to face Arsenal in the League Cup final after ending Newcastle United’s reign as holders with a first-half blitz in their 3-1 victory on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola’s side were already in pole position after winning the semi-final first leg on Tyneside last month and they finished the job in ruthless fashion at the Etihad Stadium.
Omar Marmoush struck twice in the first half of the second leg before Tijjani Reijnders put the result beyond doubt.
Photo: EPA
Anthony Elanga reduced the deficit after the interval, but City’s 5-1 aggregate win sent them back to the League Cup showpiece for the first time since 2021.
City’s final date with Arsenal is set for March 22 at Wembley after the Premier League leaders knocked out Chelsea on Tuesday.
Reaching the final was a welcome tonic for Guardiola following the frustration of blowing a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday that delivered a major blow to their title challenge.
With a crucial trip to Liverpool looming this weekend, City trail Arsenal by six points in the Premier League title race.
The League Cup was the first silverware of Guardiola’s City reign when they beat Arsenal in the 2018 final, with current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta then working as the Spaniard’s assistant.
City went on to win the competition for the following three years, but have not lifted the League Cup since 2021.
“We will travel to London again, they will wait for us there. They never travel to the north [for finals], but I am really happy to be back. Five [League Cup] finals in 10 years is a big milestone,” Guardiola said. “It will be good. You have to live this experience. The first title we won here was in the League Cup. When you win something, it helps to win more. It’s a pleasure to play against Arsenal, the best team right now in Europe and maybe the world.”
Guardiola used sarcasm and statistics this week to defend City against claims the club’s success has been due to the financial muscle of their Abu Dhabi-based owners.
The City manager pointed out that six English clubs have spent more than his side over the past five years, but he knows he would never win over the critics.
Guardiola’s only way to silence the outside noise — and mounting suggestions that City are a team in decline — is with silverware. After finishing last season without a trophy for the first time in eight years, Guardiola would love to end City’s barren spell at Arsenal’s expense.
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