Man City sweep aside Newcastle to book EFL Cup final against Arsenal

Manchester City booked their place in the 2026 Carabao Cup final with a dominant 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, sealing a comprehensive 5-1 aggregate win in the semi-final. 

Pep Guardiola’s side will face Arsenal at Wembley on 22 March after comfortably dispatching the holders over two legs. City effectively killed the tie in the first half, racing into a 3-0 lead by the 32nd minute. 

Omar Marmoush struck twice early on, scoring in the seventh and 29th minutes, before Tijjani Reijnders added a third with a composed finish. 

Newcastle struggled to cope with City’s intensity and movement, offering little resistance before the break.

Despite resting Erling Haaland on the bench initially as part of six changes, City showed no signs of slowing down in the opening period. 

Newcastle were repeatedly exposed defensively, and the hosts could have added further goals before half-time with more clinical finishing.

Newcastle improved after the interval and pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute when Anthony Elanga finished well following an assist from Malick Thiaw. 

The visitors enjoyed more possession and created chances in the second half, but their wastefulness in front of goal prevented any real comeback.

Haaland was introduced in the final stages and forced several saves from goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, while Newcastle also had opportunities at the other end. 

However, the tie had long been decided, with the closing minutes played at a subdued tempo as City comfortably saw the game out.

The result sets up a mouth-watering Wembley final between Manchester City and Arsenal, their first League Cup meeting since 2018. 

For Newcastle, the defeat ends their defence of the trophy, though their second-half response offered some encouragement despite an ultimately one-sided aggregate scoreline.

Manchester City against Arsenal in the 2026 Carabao Cup final will be played on 22 March at Wembley stadium.