Manchester City overwhelmed Newcastle United in the first half at Etihad Stadium. Omar Marmoush, the forward for Manchester City, scored the opener in the seventh minute after his shot deflected off Dan Burn and looped over Aaron Ramsdale.
He added a second in the 29th minute with a close range header from Antoine Semenyo’s cross. Then, Tijjani Reijnders, the midfielder for Manchester City, slotted in the third goal three minutes later from inside the box.
Newcastle mounted pressure earlier, but James Trafford, the goalkeeper for Manchester City, denied Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon with key saves. However Anthony Gordon exited due to a hamstring injury before halftime.
Newcastle Fights Back
After the break, Newcastle improved. Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle United, made three substitutions at halftime. However Anthony Elanga, the winger for Newcastle United, curled in a consolation goal in the 62nd minute, assisted by Malick Thiaw.
Newcastle created more chances, but Elanga missed a clear opportunity later. Meanwhile Manchester City managed the game. Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, introduced Erling Haaland and Rodri as substitutes to maintain control. The match ended with 41,834 fans in attendance.
Post-Match Reflections
Players and managers shared thoughts afterward. Marmoush stated, “We showed a very good mentality. We were together as a team, from the first minute we were very focused on the job.” Reijnders added, “We were very eager to go to the final and we showed that from the first minute.”
Guardiola praised his team. He stated, “With Newcastle you can never control them completely. They had a one against one with James – James was unbelievable especially in the first half.”
