Omar Marmoush scored twice as Manchester City set up a League Cup final date with Arsenal after a comprehensive 3-1 second-leg victory over visiting Newcastle United secured a 5-1 aggregate win in their semi-final on Wednesday.
The home side were ruthless in the first half as Tijjani Reijnders also got on the scoresheet and now face Arsenal at Wembley on March 22 in a battle between City manager Pep Guardiola and his protege Mikel Arteta.
“We showed a very good mentality,” Marmoush told Sky Sports. “We were together as a team, from the first minute we were very focused on the job. We showed our mentality and passion and are very happy to reach the final.
“We are here to win trophies. We give our best every day to reach these finals and win silverware. Hopefully we can do it for all the new players and also the players that were here.”
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, the last thing Newcastle needed was to concede early at the Etihad Stadium, but Marmoush’s shot deflected off defender Dan Burn and into the net inside six minutes.
The Egypt international added a second on the night with a close-range header from Antoine Semenyo’s cross. Marmoush has now scored 12 goals for City and five have come against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.
A rampant City scored a third before halftime and Semenyo was involved again as he created the chance for Reijnders to finish.
Newcastle pulled a goal back just past the hour-mark when substitute Anthony Elanga showed quick feet to work a shooting chance and curled his effort past James Trafford in the home goal.
Elanga missed two superb chances to reduce the deficit further, one scarcely believable from right in front of the goal, while Erling Haaland brushed the post at the other end.
City won four League Cup titles in a row between 2018 and 2021 and have eight in all, only Liverpool (10) have won it more.
Arsenal have not lifted the trophy in 33 years and have two previous wins.
The League Cup was the first silverware of Guardiola’s City reign when they beat Arsenal in the 2018 final, with Arteta then working as the Spaniard’s assistant.
City went on to win the competition for the following three years, but haven’t lifted the League Cup since 2021.
“We will travel to London again, they will wait for us there. They never travel to the north [for finals] but I am really happy to be back. Five [League Cup] finals in 10 years is a big milestone,” Guardiola said.
“It will be good. You have to live this experience. The first title we won here was in the League Cup.
“When you win something, it helps to win more. It’s a pleasure to play against Arsenal, the best team right now in Europe and maybe the world.”
Guardiola also expressed his opinion that their recent signing Marc Guehi should be allowed to play in the final, saying the club will ask organisers to reconsider eligibility rules.
“Why should he [Guehi] not play? Why not? We pay his salary, he is our player,” Guardiola told reporters.
“You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play, for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it.
