NEWCASTLE: Antoine Semenyo became an instant Manchester City hero as Pep Guardiola’s men took a giant step towards the League Cup final with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United.
The Ghana international, who arrived from Bournemouth for $US65 million ($87 million) last week, opened the scoring and also saw a second goal controversially ruled out.
But Rayan Cherki delivered what could be the final blow to the defending champions in the 98th minute.
The Magpies ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy by winning the League Cup last season, but they will need a heroic fightback to reach Wembley when the teams meet for the semi-final second leg on February 4.
Semenyo also scored on his debut in Saturday’s 10-1 demolition of Exeter in the FA Cup.
“The whole environment here is perfect,” Semenyo said. “Everyone is confident and wants to do their best. I just got there and they helped me with my confidence and they made me feel welcome.”
In previous years he would have been tied having played for Bournemouth earlier in the competition.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe made his displeasure clear before the game with a rule change this season that allows players to play for two clubs in a single campaign and City took full advantage of it.
Guardiola showed his desire to reach the final for the first time since 2021 as Erling Haaland made his first League Cup start in three years in a strong City squad just days before traveling to Manchester United in the Premier League.
Yoane Wissa created a glorious first-time chance over the bar as Newcastle came out of the blocks in front of a packed St. James’ Park.
“Looking back, it looks like it was potentially a significant turning point,” Howe said of the opportunity. “We wanted to fully involve the crowd in the match.”
But it was the closest moment for either side in a cagey first half.
City goalkeeper James Trafford was a long-term target for Newcastle before his return to the Etihad from Burnley in July.
The England Under-21 international has had to play second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma for most of the season, but proved his worth with a superb save to collect Wissa’s looping header early in the second half.
Seconds later, Bruno Guimaraes hit the post as Newcastle pressed for the opener.
But they were pegged back at the other end when Jeremy Doku raced towards the touchline and his cross was converted by Bernardo Silva into the path of Semenyo to push home from close range.
Semenyo thought he had scored a third goal for City in two appearances when he acrobatically rushed in from a corner.
However, after a VAR review lasting more than five minutes, officials ultimately ruled that Haaland had prevented Malick Thiaw from playing the ball from an offside position.
The boisterous crowd celebrated the start as a goal, but his team failed to find the net despite a string of late chances for Nick Woltemade.
And City’s threat on the counter-attack finally came to fruition when Cherki swept home Rayan Ait-Nouri’s low cross to secure a commanding first-leg lead.
Published in Dawn, January 15, 2026
