Manchester City stormed into the Carabao Cup final after a commanding 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, sealing a 5-1 aggregate win in the semi-final.
The night belonged to Egyptian international Omar Marmoush, who struck twice inside the opening half-hour to crush Newcastle’s hopes and underline his growing importance to Pep Guardiola’s attack.
Marmoush opened the scoring in the seventh minute after a powerful run from the left flank, as a defensive intervention ricocheted off him and into the net for City’s first goal.
He doubled his tally on 29 minutes, reacting quickest to a poor clearance from Kieran Trippier and guiding a close-range header into an empty net. Just three minutes later, Tijjani Reijnders effectively ended the contest by finishing calmly after a move that exploited the spaces in Newcastle’s disjointed midfield.
Newcastle responded after the break, with Anthony Elanga pulling a goal back in the 63rd minute, but it was too little, too late against a dominant home side.
City’s win sets up a high-stakes final against Arsenal at Wembley on 22 March, after the Gunners edged Chelsea 1-0 in the second leg to progress 4-2 on aggregate.
With both teams in strong form, the Wembley clash promises a fiery showdown between two of England’s most ambitious clubs.
