Strap yourself in for a Wembley showdown between Manchester City and Arsenal that should be as fascinating on the grass as the sideline where Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta bid to outsmart each other.
City’s manager was the Arsenal No 1’s tutor from 2016 to 2019 when Arteta was his coach. This forged a friendship, but there may be fireworks between them after Guardiola was incensed by the Spaniard’s claim that he had “all the information” on City after they complained about Arsenal’s “dark arts” tactics in the 2–2 draw at the Etihad Stadium last season.
Expect media inquisitors to return to the spat after City booked a 22nd trip to Wembley under Guardiola in the quest to claim his fifth League Cup. They did so easily, two Omar Marmoush goals and a Tijjani Reijnders strike ending Newcastle’s defence embarrassingly.
Anthony Elanga scored for Eddie Howe’s side but a defensive horror show cost them. City’s own rearguard remains leaky so if Newcastle were more ruthless, as the manager pointed out, it might have been his men in the final for a second successive year.
Howe urged Newcastle to impose themselves early, then saw City score seven minutes in and by the interval the tie was all but finished.
The opener came when Reijnders passed to Marmoush down the left. He veered towards goal and Dan Burn raced across, but when slide tackling the giant defender took the ball it ricocheted against the Egyptian’s leg and looped over the helpless Newcastle goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale, and in.
Guardiola skipped in jubilation as City’s control tightened. Yet immediately the home rearguard was bisected as Anthony Gordon curved the ball left to Joe Willock before James Trafford, running out, killed the danger.
City’s deputy keeper did the same when this time Gordon had the chance – Trafford narrowed the angle expertly, a corner was conceded and Newcastle failed to profit.
Before this Rayan Aït-Nouri had fed Reijnders in on City’s left but the Dutchman blazed wide, and later in a crowded Newcastle penalty area Antoine Semenyo whipped the ball across goal from the right but no teammate could apply a touch.
The contest was open – particularly now as Newcastle needed three goals merely to achieve parity.
