Manchester City have taken a giant stride towards the Carabao Cup final after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at St James' Park in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday, 13 January 2026. A debut goal from new signing Antoine Semenyo and a last-gasp strike from Rayan Cherki handed Pep Guardiola's side a commanding advantage ahead of the return fixture next month.
Semenyo Makes Instant Impact for City
The night belonged to City's £62.5 million winter signing, Antoine Semenyo. The forward, who was controversially eligible to play despite featuring for Bournemouth in an earlier round due to a rule change, opened the scoring in the second half. Jeremy Doku's pace created the chance, Bernardo Silva provided a clever touch, and Semenyo had a simple finish for his first competitive City goal.
He thought he had doubled his tally soon after, converting Tijjani Reijnders' corner with an improvised backheel, but a lengthy VAR review ruled it out for an offside against Erling Haaland. Nevertheless, Semenyo's energetic performance and immediate connection with the travelling fans, who already have a song for him, marked a superb start to his City career.
Newcastle Rue Missed Chances and Injury Blow
Newcastle, defending their first major trophy in decades, will reflect on a night of frustration. They created the better chances before Semenyo's opener, hitting the woodwork twice in quick succession. Yoane Wissa saw a looping header tipped onto the bar by James Trafford, and Bruno Guimaraes then rattled the post from distance.
Their task was made harder by the loss of the creative Jacob Murphy to a hamstring injury just before half-time. Despite late pressure and blocked efforts from Sven Botman, Eddie Howe's side could not find a crucial away goal, leaving them with a mountain to climb at the Etihad Stadium.
Cherki Seals Advantage in Stoppage Time
As Newcastle pushed for an equaliser, City delivered a knockout blow in the 99th minute. Summer signings combined as Rayan Cherki played a clever one-two with fellow substitute Rayan Ait-Nouri before finishing adeptly to double the lead. The goal justified Guardiola's strategy of introducing quality from the bench, having started with a makeshift defence featuring Max Alleyne and Abdukodir Khusanov.
The result means Manchester City can now envisage a Wembley final against either Arsenal or Chelsea in March. Newcastle, meanwhile, require a monumental turnaround in Manchester next month if they are to keep their cup defence alive.
