Manchester City booked their place in the Carabao Cup final in emphatic fashion after sweeping aside Newcastle United 5-1 on aggregate in a dominant semi-final display at the Etihad Stadium. The result sets up a mouth-watering showdown with Premier League leaders Arsenal at Wembley later this month.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Newcastle arrived in Manchester needing a near-perfect night, but those hopes were quickly dashed. City struck inside six minutes through Omar Marmoush, who was handed a starting role in place of Erling Haaland. Marmoush reacted sharply to nip in behind the defence before seeing his effort deflect and loop over goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale into the net.

City sensed vulnerability and pressed relentlessly. Ramsdale was forced into a stunning save soon after to deny Tijjani Reijnders, keeping Newcastle briefly in the contest. The visitors did have moments of promise, with Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon both going close, but City goalkeeper James Trafford reacted superbly to smother danger at crucial moments.

Those missed chances proved costly. Marmoush struck again on the half-hour, heading home from close range to leave Newcastle with a mountain to climb. Just before the break, Reijnders capitalised on a loose ball to slot home City’s third of the night, effectively ending the tie before half-time and allowing the home crowd to settle in for a comfortable second period.

Newcastle showed some fight after the interval. Anthony Elanga pulled a goal back on 62 minutes with a fine curling finish, while Harvey Barnes saw another effort ruled out. However, the damage had already been done.

Under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, City calmly saw out the match to secure their 10th appearance in a EFL Cup Final. The final will take place on Sunday, 22 March at Wembley Stadium, where City will look to add another trophy to their collection against Arsenal.