Manchester City – Newcastle United: Citizens Coast to the Carabao Cup Final (3-1)

Manchester City came into this contest as the favorites for a place in the first domestic cup final of the campaign, and they obliged. The tie was effectively over in minutes, and the Carabao Cup holders had come to accept the reality that they would not mimic the magic of the previous year.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Carabao Cup holders Newcastle United have put up a good fight to defend their crown, but they enter the second leg of this semi-final on the back foot for more reasons than one. The team are 2-0 down after the action on Tyneside three weeks ago, and they must now try to turn around the deficit at the Etihad Stadium. However, the team have suffered significantly on the road this campaign, winning only three of their 16 away matches in all competitions and most recently losing 4-1 to Liverpool.

Manchester City cannot afford to rest too easily though. Pep Guardiola is under pressure to avoid a second successive season without a league title for the first time in his managerial career, but a 2-2 draw against Tottenham on the weekend has handed a bigger advantage to league leaders Arsenal . . .