Author: Gist Correspondent

Manchester City have booked a place in next month’s EFL Cup final, where they will face Arsenal, after overpowering defending champions Newcastle United 5–1 on aggregate.

Pep Guardiola’s side followed up their 2–0 first-leg advantage with a convincing 3–1 victory at the Etihad Stadium, as Newcastle’s poor away form continued. Omar Marmoush starred on the night with a brace to put the tie beyond doubt.

The Premier League’s top two sides will now meet in the final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 22, in what promises to be a high-profile showdown.

Speaking after the match, Marmoush praised City’s mentality and ambition. “We were together as a team from the first moment and focused on our job,” he said. “This is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We are here to win trophies and reach finals like this.”

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admitted his side were second best over the two legs. “The start to the game was not what we wanted and it made things really difficult,” he said. “We’re frustrated we’ve only scored one goal across the two matches. We missed some good chances and have to accept what we delivered.”

City’s dominance was evident early on as Marmoush opened the scoring in the seventh minute, his effort deflecting off Dan Burn and looping over goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Newcastle nearly responded immediately, but James Trafford raced off his line to deny Anthony Gordon.

The hosts continued to apply pressure and doubled their lead when Marmoush headed home at the far post after Newcastle failed to clear their lines. City then stretched their aggregate advantage further on 32 minutes as Tijjani Reijnders capped a swift counter-attack with a composed finish.

Newcastle showed more intent after the break, with substitute Anthony Elanga pulling one back with a fine curling effort. However, further chances went begging, and City remained largely in control as Guardiola introduced several substitutes, including Erling Haaland.

Manchester City, the competition’s second most successful club with eight EFL Cup titles, will now look to extend their dominance when they face Arsenal at Wembley. As a result of their progress, City’s Premier League home fixture against Crystal Palace scheduled for March 21 has been postponed.