‎Man City Player Ratings vs Newcastle: Semenyo Shines Again as Guardiola’s Men Take Control of Carabao Cup Semi-Final

‎Antoine Semenyo continues to justify his £65 million price tag after finding the net for a second consecutive match, inspiring Manchester City to a 2-0 victory away at Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. The result puts Pep Guardiola’s side firmly on course for a return to Wembley. With his latest strike, Semenyo became the first City player since Emmanuel Adebayor in 2009 to score in each of his opening two appearances for the club.

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Antoine Semenyo scores again as Manchester City beat Newcastle 2-0 in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. 

‎Getty Images Sport 

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‎City’s opener came against the flow of the game, but the visitors grew into the contest after the break and took full control. Their dominance was rewarded deep into stoppage time when substitute Rayan Cherki added a second goal to give City a commanding advantage heading into the return leg in Manchester.

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‎The hosts made a fast start and nearly caught City out early on, with Yoane Wissa failing to keep his effort down after a sweeping Newcastle move. Manchester City, meanwhile, failed to register a single shot in the first half for only the second time this season. Shortly after the interval, they were fortunate to escape when Newcastle struck the woodwork twice in quick succession.

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‎That miss proved costly. City broke forward moments later on a counter-attack sparked by Jeremy Doku, and Semenyo reacted quickest to slot home and break the deadlock. The goal will have frustrated Eddie Howe, who had voiced his anger before kick-off about the regulation change that allowed Semenyo to feature in the tie despite earlier appearances for Bournemouth in the competition.

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‎Semenyo thought he had doubled his tally later in the match from a corner, but the goal was ruled out following a lengthy VAR check, with Erling Haaland judged to be interfering with play. City then rode their luck again when Bernardo Silva nearly turned the ball into his own net after overhitting a back pass intended for James Trafford.

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‎Newcastle manager Eddie Howe responded by introducing three fresh substitutes in a bid to find an equaliser, but City remained resolute. Instead, the visitors struck again in added time as Cherki calmly finished off an impressive attacking move initiated by substitute Rayan Ait-Nouri, sealing a crucial two-goal cushion ahead of the second leg.

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‎Player Ratings

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‎Goalkeeper & Defence

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‎James Trafford (7/10):

‎Making his second start in four days, Trafford remained composed throughout. He produced an outstanding save to divert Wissa’s looping header onto the crossbar and stood firm as Newcastle pressed for a way back.

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‎Matheus Nunes (5/10):

‎Battled hard against Anthony Gordon and picked up a booking for a heavy challenge. Another foul on Joelinton left him walking a disciplinary tightrope, prompting Guardiola to substitute him.

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‎Abdukodir Khusanov (6/10):

‎Handled a difficult physical matchup well, limiting the influence of Wissa and later Woltemade.

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‎Max Alleyne (7/10):

‎Continued his strong form after returning from loan at Watford, delivering another assured performance against stronger opposition.

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‎Nathan Aké (6/10):

‎Found Newcastle’s pace challenging at times but relied on his experience to see out the contest.

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‎Midfield

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‎Bernardo Silva (6/10):

‎Dragged City’s only first-half chance wide and later played an important role in the move that led to Semenyo’s goal.

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‎Nico O’Reilly (6/10):

‎Deployed in an unfamiliar holding midfield role and performed competently before being replaced by Rodri.

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‎Phil Foden (5/10):

‎Struggled to link up effectively with teammates. Without his strong Manchester derby record, his place for the Old Trafford trip could be under threat.

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‎Attack

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‎Antoine Semenyo (7/10):

‎Not at his most electric, but his instinctive finishing made the difference. His early City career could hardly have started better.

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‎Erling Haaland (5/10):

‎Was largely starved of service and, despite a debatable call, was penalised for interfering in play during Semenyo’s disallowed goal.

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‎Jeremy Doku (7/10):

‎Provided the spark for the opener, beating Harvey Barnes and delivering a dangerous cross that led to the breakthrough.

‎Substitutes & Manager

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‎Rodri (6/10):

‎Added control and calm, helping City regain dominance during a difficult spell.

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‎Tijjani Reijnders (6/10):

‎Improved City’s threat on the counter-attack after coming on.

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‎Rico Lewis (6/10):

‎Helped dictate the tempo in the second half with tidy, composed passing.

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‎Rayan Cherki (7/10):

‎Missed an early chance straight at Nick Pope but redeemed himself with a decisive finish late on.

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‎Rayan Aït-Nouri (7/10):

‎Made the most of limited minutes, producing an excellent run and assist for City’s second goal.

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‎Pep Guardiola (7/10):

‎Managed City’s injury issues effectively and showed tactical creativity by using O’Reilly in midfield. The performance was functional rather than fluent, but the two-goal lead was the perfect outcome.