A fuming Pep Guardiola is facing a two-game touchline ban after being booked for the sixth time this season as Manchester City eased past Newcastle into the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The Spaniard confronted fourth official Lewis Smith on the touchline at St James’ Park after Kieran Trippier had felled Jeremy Doku, prompting referee Sam Barrott to act, and will now have to sit out the Premier League fixture with West Ham and the club’s last-eight clash.
That proved the only downside for Guardiola on a night when a team featuring 10 changes from the midweek draw with Nottingham Forest won 3-1 at a canter.
The City boss said: “I will tell you something – we have all the records in this country, all of them, despite everything. We have the record of the manager with the most yellow cards. I want all records and now I have it.
“Two-game ban now and I will go on holidays the next two games. There are things after 10 years I cannot understand.
“Review the action. Of course I’m going to defend Doku and all my teams.”
If that decision left Guardiola perplexed, it was one of few events which did as his side completed a fourth successive victory in five games against Newcastle this season, with his big guns rested ahead of the first leg of their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
It was a 19th win in 21 FA Cup ties in the last year – the only two defeats have come in finals against Manchester United and Crystal Palace – a record of which he is justifiably proud.
He said: “It’s the best game we have played against Newcastle here in our period together in 10 years, in the FA Cup and a difficult one, so I’m really, really pleased how we behaved, how we played defensively, offensively and the concentration on top.
“Eight times in a row in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, that means how good this organisation is.”
The hosts took an 18th-minute lead as they started impressively, Harvey Barnes running on to Sandro Tonali’s picture-book pass, but once City flexed their muscles it proved a chastening evening for Eddie Howe’s men.
Savinho levelled before the break and Marmoush put the game to bed after it with a double to take his tally against the Magpies to seven in five appearances, half his entire total for City.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe now faces the task of raising his players for Tuesday night’s visit of Barcelona to St James’ Park, which is unlikely to be any less challenging.
Asked about chief executive David Hopkinson’s aim of being part of the debate over the top club in the world by 2030, he said: “My focus is really short-term and it’s trying to win the game that’s in front of me, and that’s Barcelona in the Champions League.
“As much as it is easy to be very negative in this moment – and I understand, we’ve gone out of the FA Cup – but we have the biggest game in the club’s history coming up in no time at all. We’ve got to get the players ready for that, we’ve got no time to dwell on this.”
