Man City 3-1 Newcastle: Pep Guardiola’s side set up EFL Cup final with Arsenal

History has always been against the holders.

No team has ever reached a Carabao Cup final after losing the first leg at home by two or more goals.

Newcastle have also only won once at the Etihad.

But this match got away from Howe’s team too quickly.

Although Newcastle found old target Trafford in fine form, the visitors were easily defeated time and time again in the first half as they naively left spaces to try, somehow, to get back into the tie.

Newcastle’s midfield was bypassed on several occasions while a back five struggled to deal with Marmoush.

At one point, an inconsolable Dan Burn – the hero of the club’s triumph at Wembley less than a year ago – sat on the turf with his hands covering his face after Reijnders scored Manchester City’s third goal.

He summed up Newcastle’s first 45 minutes as gallows humor later spread outside and the traveling support chanted: “We’re going to win 6-5!”

Having already lost Gordon to a hamstring injury, it was rather telling that Howe made three more changes at half-time in a bid to shake up his team.

Newcastle duly rallied after the break following a fine individual goal from Elanga, who also missed a keeper, as the visitors ended a seven-and-a-half year wait to score at the Etihad.

Newcastle’s waste could have scored several more, but this heavy comprehensive defeat was not the way the title holders wanted to deliver the trophy they had waited so long to win.