Manchester City secured a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg, advancing 5-1 on aggregate to the final against Arsenal. Omar Marmoush scored twice early, with Tijjani Reijnders adding a third before Anthony Elanga's late consolation for Newcastle. The win ends Newcastle's defense of the title they won last March.
Manchester City hosted Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium on February 4, 2026, for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final. City entered with a 2-0 lead from the first leg on January 13, where goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki had given them the advantage at St James' Park.
The match kicked off at 8pm UK time, and City struck first in the seventh minute. Omar Marmoush broke the deadlock with a fortuitous deflection off Dan Burn's sliding tackle, looping the ball over Aaron Ramsdale. Newcastle had chances to respond, but City's stand-in goalkeeper James Trafford, replacing the rested Gianluigi Donnarumma, made superb saves against Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon.
City doubled their lead soon after when Reijnders played in Semenyo, and after Kieran Trippier's clearance went awry, Marmoush nodded home from close range. Reijnders then added a third himself, surging forward on a counter and slotting past Ramsdale after Burn's challenge on Semenyo.
Newcastle suffered a blow before half-time as Gordon limped off with a hamstring injury, replaced by Harvey Barnes. Eddie Howe made three more changes at the interval, introducing Jacob Murphy, Elanga, and Yoane Wissa to protect his squad ahead of Premier League games against Brentford and Tottenham.
In the second half, Newcastle improved and pulled one back through Elanga's first goal for the club, bending a finish in off the post. They had further chances, including a disallowed goal by Barnes for offside and Elanga skewing wide from a Barnes pass. Marmoush missed a hat-trick opportunity, and substitute Erling Haaland was denied twice by Ramsdale late on.
Pre-match, Howe had expressed belief in an upset: “We very much have to have that belief... It’s going to be an almighty challenge – there is no bigger challenge than Manchester City away.” Despite their efforts, Newcastle's title defense ends, while City look forward to the March 22 final at Wembley against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
City's starting lineup included Trafford in goal, with Marmoush up front and Reijnders in midfield. Newcastle opted for a defensive three at the back, with Ramsdale between the posts and Gordon starting before his injury.
