Knocked out of the Carabao Cup in August, Antoine Semenyo may be taking Manchester City to the final of it. And if that made little sense, the rule change that allowed players to represent two clubs in the competition this season had irritated Eddie Howe even before Manchester City’s latest signing threated to end Newcastle’s defence of their first major trophy since the 1960s.
In previous years, he would have been cup-tied. Not now. “The rules are the rules,” said Howe, but a rewrite to them came at a bad time for Newcastle. Semenyo’s part in Bournemouth’s summer defeat to Brentford might be no impediment to claiming a winner’s medal. His first-leg strike, coupled with Rayan Cherki’s 99th-minute second, means City can envisage a March date with Arsenal or Chelsea at Wembley. “First step to reach the final,” said Pep Guardiola. Newcastle need a turnaround at the Etihad next month and it is a bogey ground. “We haven’t got a good record there, I haven’t good a good record there but records are there to be broken,” said Howe. “We are still alive, still fighting.”
But they are likely to face a stronger City team in Manchester. Guardiola had a £62.5m addition to their attack but a makeshift look to the back half of his team. City won anyway. But it helps to have the financial muscle to sign a player coveted by Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
If a debut goal against Exeter was scarcely proof Semenyo is worth his sizeable fee, this was a bigger indication City’s money has been well spent. This was an indication the biggest signing of the winter window so far is a big-game player.
Not since Emmanuel Adebayor in 2009 had a player scored in his first two games for City, though Semenyo may not want to emulate some other elements of the Togolese’s time in Manchester. But this has been a flying start. He already has a song the supporters chorused.
His goal was a reward for Guardiola’s policy of picking out-and-out wingers. One scored a goal, set up by another. Jeremy Doku accelerated past Lewis Miley to cross, Bernardo Silva diverted it into the path of Semenyo and he had a tap in. “Every time the ball arrives to him, he always is there,” said Guardiola.
Semenyo thought he had a third goal in his first two games, courtesy of an improvised finish, with an attempted backheel, from Tijjani Reijnders’ corner. Following an interminable VAR check, Erling Haaland was adjudged offside. “It should have been 3-0,” said Silva. “Four officials and VAR were not able to take the decision,” said Guardiola. He felt his players were “angry”. They channelled it.
But it was only because of that six-minute hiatus that the game was still going when City eventually doubled their lead, thanks to a combination of summer signings and Rayans. A one-two between Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri began with a lovely flick from the No 10 and, after a low cross from the Algerian, ended with an adept finish.
“We had the chances to make that a very different scoreline,” said Howe. Missed opportunities included one that was wild, two that came agonisingly close. Yoane Wissa sliced a fifth-minute shot over the bar, when City were opened up by Jacob Murphy’s cross. Wissa was preferred to Nick Woltemade, but Murphy, their most creative player in the first half, went off injured seconds before the interval.
Newcastle nevertheless had more attacking intent after it. Before Semenyo struck, they hit the woodwork twice within seconds. First Anthony Gordon crossed, Wissa produced a looping header and James Trafford, forever a Newcastle target, tipped it on to the bar. Then Bruno Guimaraes thudded a shot from 20 yards against the post.
They exerted plenty of effort in their search for an equaliser, and Sven Botman had attempts blocked by Trafford and Semenyo. Sandro Tonali came off the bench to drill a shot wide.
But Newcastle were annoyed Jacob Ramsey was off the bench when Semenyo provided the breakthrough and could regret the dullness of the start. There had been a surfeit of drama at St James’ Park in the last week. Maybe fatigue got the better of them as the first half was the antidote to the 4-3 and the 3-3, the rush of 13 goals. City belatedly mustered their first shot in stoppage time, and even afterwards Nick Pope’s first save was to spare Gordon an own goal.
Meanwhile, Newcastle were frustrated by the unlikely alliance at the back for City. Abdukodir Khusanov and Max Alleyne, aged 21 and 20, the Uzbek and the son of a cricketer, excelled together.
Ahead of them, Nico O’Reilly had to do his Rodri impression at the base of the midfield. With Nico Gonzalez injured, the other Nico was the third-choice defensive midfielder. Guardiola had seemed to prioritise the Manchester derby by benching Rodri, Reijnders and Cherki. But each appeared in the second half and a strategy of bringing on class was justified by Cherki’s goal. Wembley beckons for them but not, this year, for Newcastle.
