Man City Player Ratings vs. Newcastle: Pep Guardiola Secures Mikel Arteta Wembley Showdown

Man City cruised past Newcastle and will face the Premier League leaders at Wembley.

Man City thrashed Newcastle over two legs. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Manchester City confirmed their spot in the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday night, as they cruised to victory against Newcastle United.

After making light work of the semi-final, City will face Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday, March 22, in a contest that could also have a knock-on impact on the Premier League title race, given that Pep Guardiola’s side are chasing the Gunners at the summit in that competition.

After failing to kill off Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, City refused to mess around with the 2–0 aggregate lead they entered Wednesday’s second leg with. They were 5–0 up in the tie within 32 minutes at the Etihad Stadium, as Omar Marmoush continued his excellent record against the Magpies by scoring a brace before Tijjani Reijnders added a third.

Newcastle rallied in the second half while City drifted, but Anthony Elanga’s strike was merely a consolation as Guardiola’s men triumphed 5–1 on aggregate.

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The Moment That Defined the Match

Tijjani Reijnders had the freedom of Manchester in the opening 30 minutes. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

Eddie Howe was accused of not being brave enough in Newcastle’s 1–1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain last week, and the result saw both teams fail to qualify automatically for the Champions League round of 16. However, if it weren’t for Harvey Barnes spurning a gilt-edged chance late on, the Magpies may well have earned a memorable win in Paris.

Howe’s approach off the ball in that one was well-balanced, helping to stifle the hosts, and his team were aggressive again here. This time, though, Manchester City were able to manipulate Newcastle with ease thanks to their supreme technical level and some poor execution from the visitors.

They tore Newcastle apart in half an hour, with the ease at which they were able to progress upfield showcased by the third goal. Forced to step up to even the numbers in midfield, Sven Botman was easily rolled by compatriot Reijnders in the City half, igniting a two-on-two that culminated in Antoine Semenyo cutting inside Dan Burn and Reijnders finishing with ease.

Howe had to be bold given their deficit, but City’s ruthless exploitation made sure of their place in the final with an hour left.

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Man City Player Ratings vs. Newcastle (4-2-2-2)

Marmoush loves playing against Newcastle. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—7.6: City’s goalkeeper was forced into a couple of crucial interventions at 1–0, denying Joe Willock and Anthony Gordon to prevent the visitors from earning a lifeline.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.3: Overplayed a couple of times and was booked when he pulled back Lewis Hall.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—6.5: Sloppy moments here and there, and Harvey Barnes did get in down his side to set up a glorious chance for Elanga. Still, that recovery pace is a cheat code.

CB: Nathan Aké—7.0: This was a pretty comfortable 45 minutes for Aké, with Newcastle only testing the hosts sporadically in the first half. Guardiola opted to withdraw the experienced defender at half-time.

LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri—8.0: The left-back played a key role in bypassing Newcastle’s man-to-man press and breaking the game open. He had joy hugging the flank, and when he came inside.

CM: Nico O’Reilly—6.6: An imposing presence in the middle of the park, O’Reilly was more of a decoy in the opening period but was generally efficient with the ball.

CM: Nico González (c)—7.5: After a poor showing off the bench on Sunday, González was aggressive when he needed to be and, in general, a calming, stable presence.

AM: Tijjani Reijnders—8.9: Often spare and took full advantage early on. Reijnders took his goal well and probably could’ve had another at the start of the second half. He’s ever so elegant in full cry.

AM: Phil Foden—6.4: Relatively subdued, but Foden burst into life when he sought to combine between the lines.

ST: Antoine Semenyo—7.0: The January addition had a hand in a couple of City’s goals, and proved to be a threat in both the left and right inside channels.

ST: Omar Marmoush—9.0: Marmoush followed up his hat-trick against Newcastle in the Premier League last season with a brace here. They certainly weren’t the prettiest of finishes, but the Egyptian was crucially in the right place at the right time.

SUB: Max Alleyne (46’ for Aké)—6.5: A mixed bag for the youngster, who defended Elanga well when isolated on one occasion. Alleyne can look awkward in possession.

SUB: Rayan Cherki (71’ for Foden)—7.0: Fancied a goal but didn’t get it. Still, Cherki produced some sequences of magic during his relatively brief cameo.

SUB: Rodri (71’ for O’Reilly)—6.4: Helped steady the ship somewhat after a glut of Newcastle fast breaks, but he was booked late.

SUB: Erling Haaland (71’ for Semenyo)—6.4: Came close once when he was found in stride by Cherki, but the post denied him.

SUB: Rico Lewis (83’ for González)—N/A

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Rúben Dias, Sverre Nypan, Ryan McAidoo.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Reijnders needed a big night. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

• There was tenuous talk of Omar Marmoush potentially leaving Manchester in January after just a year, with the Egyptian’s first full season so far failing to ignite. However, Guardiola’s systematic tweak suits the sharpshooting forward, who’s an impressive facilitator and seems to have a good understanding of those around him. That was evident in the build-up to his first goal. While Antoine Semenyo is a constant threat and Erling Haaland is unlikely to ever relinquish first-choice status, it’d be interesting to see Marmoush and Haaland work in tandem moving forward.
• Tijjani Reijnders set the loftiest of expectations as a result of a standout Premier League debut, and the Dutchman has struggled to reach those heights since. The silky midfielder has come under scrutiny as of late, so this was a night he sorely needed. Reijnders ran amok in transition and between the lines to help City kill off the tie early.

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The Numbers That Explain City’s Comfortable Night

Guardiola is back in the Carabao Cup final. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

• Man City were mightily efficient in the first half, scoring three times from expected goals of just 1.44.
• City were once again beaten in the second half, and Newcastle created the better chances after the restart. Their second-half xG was 0.92 compared to the hosts’ 0.76.
• Despite attempting to regain possession high up the pitch, Newcastle saw far less of the ball than their hosts. City ended the night with a 63% share of possession.
• Five of Omar Marmoush’s 11 Man City goals have come against Newcastle.

Statistic	Man City	Newcastle
Possession	63%	37%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.22	1.33
Total Shots	18	12
Shots on Target	8	5
Big Chances	5	4
Passing Accuracy	90%	84%
Fouls Committed	13	14
Corners	5	4

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