JAKARTA - New player Antoine Semenyo led Manchester City to beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the first leg of the English League Cup or Carabao Cup semi-final at St James' Park Stadium, Newcastle, Wednesday, January 14, 2026 WIB. The victory opened the opportunity for Man City to the final of the English League third-class competition.
It was not Erling Haaland but Semenyo who became the star of Man City's victory. And it's not wrong if the player who was forgotten by England so he chose to strengthen the Ghana national team rejected Manchester United's offer which has turned into a mediocre team to join Man City.
Yes, Semenyo chose to cross over to the Cityzens who continued to soar. When Man Utd was in a slump and even fired manager Ruben Amorim, on the other hand, Man City was already thinking about how to win the Carabao Cup. They are also still in the FA Cup, Champions League and competing with Arsenal in the English Premier League.
Meanwhile, Man Utd has had to forget about the FA Cup and has already been eliminated in the Carabao Cup and is not involved in the competition in the Premier League because it does not have the capacity and ability to face Arsenal and Man City. Even the Red Devils are still difficult to win when they meet Liverpool, Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur.
It's not wrong if Semenyo accepts an offer to play at Man City even though he is haunted by a penalty for a financial fair play violation that has not yet been decided. And it's not in vain that Man City spent 64 million pounds when bringing Semenyo from Bournemouth because he showed his sharpness again.
In his debut against Exeter in the FA Cup, Semenyo who immediately became a starter was able to contribute a goal. Likewise when manager Pep Guardiola again gave him the opportunity to be the first choice in the first semifinal match of the Carabao Cup, the 26-year-old winger was able to open the victory for Man City.
Semenyo actually played in that competition while still wearing the Bournemouth uniform. However, the FA changed the rules regarding the status of players if they ever played in the English League Cup at their old club so that they could defend Man City.
The success of winning at home against the opponent opens the opportunity for Man City to advance to the final. This is because they only need a draw in the second match which will be held at home at the Etihad, February 5, 2026.
On the other hand, Newcastle, who are the defending champions, have to work hard to get rid of Man City. The team coached by Eddie Howe must win with a minimum score of 2-0 to open the opportunity to defend the title.
In the Premier League match, both Man City and Newcastle could not field their best team due to player injury problems. Only both teams have squad depth so they can still perform with a row of best players.
Howe changed the composition of the team by not playing seven players when eliminating Bournemouth in the FA Cup. Likewise, Guardiola did not field five players when slaughtering Exeter 10-1 in the event.
The match itself was intense and a draw because both teams put pressure on. Newcastle, who played at home, tried hard to take advantage of that advantage.
The match only lasted five minutes, winger Anthony Gordon who received the ball from Jacob Murphy opened the opportunity for Yoane Wissa. However, Wissa was unable to take advantage of the opportunity because his kick still soared over the crossbar of James Trafford who replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Man City immediately responded by building an attack through Jeremy Doku and Semenyo. But their efforts were not successful. Likewise, Bernardo Silva's cross, which Haaland had been waiting for in front of the goal, could be thwarted by goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Newcastle got another chance in the 15th minute. This time the cross pass from Gordon was greeted by Joelinton. Unfortunately, the Brazilian's header was still wide. Even though there was an exchange, no goal was created throughout the first half.
Entering the second half, Newcastle continued to put pressure. The match was only five minutes, Wissa already threatened the Man City goal. It's just that his header hit the goalpost.
On the other hand, Man City, who had been under pressure, managed to take advantage of the gap to break into the Magpies' goal. In the 53rd minute, Semenyo finally broke the deadlock with a shot from close range. The goal started with Silva receiving a cross from Doku. He then gave an assist to Semenyo who managed to convert it.
The 1-0 advantage made Man City more aggressive in pressing the home team's defense. Newcastle did manage to catch up. However, Man City managed to add a goal even though it was later canceled in the 63rd minute.
Semenyo actually scored the second goal when welcoming the corner kick from Tijjani Reijnders. Semenyo's shot managed to defeat Pope. However, after being reviewed via VAR, the goal was annulled because Haaland was in an offside position in the process.
The match remained tight and intense because of the alternating attacks. The Toon Army midfielder Sandro Tonali had the opportunity to equalize in the 71st minute. But his shot still went wide.
Then Rayan Cherki who came in to replace Doku got two good chances. Unfortunately, his chances could be stopped by Pope's goalkeeper. However, Cherki did not make a mistake when he got a good chance in injury time.
Through a slick one-two with Rayan Ait-Nouri, he then unleashed the final kick that conquered Pope. The goal in the 90+8 minute changed the score to 2-0 for Man City. Not long after the match was over.
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