Manchester City reached the Carabao Cup final after beating Newcastle United 3-1 on Wednesday, completing a 5-1 aggregate victory to set up a Wembley meeting with Arsenal on 22 March.
Pep Guardiola then turned attention to the EFL Cup rules, arguing Marc Guehi should be allowed to play in the showpiece.
Guehi, signed in January, missed both semi-final legs because City registered the defender after the Newcastle tie had already begun. The same rule also bars Guehi from facing Arsenal at Wembley. Guardiola questioned that decision and detailed why City plan to challenge the EFL Cup organisers over the situation.
Guardiola told Sky Sports exactly what City think about the ban on the new defender. “Hopefully in March, we can arrive with the players fit, Guardiola told Sky Sports. And hopefully you can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc Guehi should play in the final, because it’s difficult to understand that the club makes a big investment to pay a player who belongs to us, and I don’t understand why he cannot play. So hopefully we will write a letter and the Carabao Cup can understand. He’s not able to play, because of a rule that I don’t understand. Hopefully, they can change it.”
On the pitch, the second leg at Etihad Stadium looked settled early. Omar Marmoush scored twice and Tijjani Reijnders added another inside 32 minutes, building on the 2-0 first-leg success at St James’ Park. City then allowed several openings after half-time, but Newcastle could not recover the tie.
The win moves City into the EFL Cup final for the 10th time, matching Chelsea and Manchester United. Only Liverpool, with 15 appearances, have reached more finals. City lifted the trophy four seasons in a row between 2017-18 and 2020-21, but had not gone beyond the quarter-finals since that dominant spell.
| Club | EFL Cup finals reached |
|---|---|
| Liverpool | 15 |
| Manchester City | 10 |
| Chelsea | 10 |
| Manchester United | 10 |
Guardiola reflected on the route back to a Carabao Cup final after several early exits. “We’ve been there many years, many times. Hopefully, we arrive all good, all fit in March to compete against an exceptional, top-class team. In these two games we had a good result. We started the game not at 0-0, but at 2-0, but after we started the game, anything could happen. We started with the right pace and momentum, everything was really, really good.”
Carabao Cup EFL Cup importance for new-look squad
Since the 2023-24 Premier League title, City have reshaped the squad with several new signings, including Guehi. Guardiola suggested this Carabao Cup run could help the group aim for more trophies, using past success in the same competition as a reference point for belief in the current dressing room.
Guardiola explained how lifting the Carabao Cup has previously boosted City. “It will be good. You have to live this experience. The first title we won here was in the Carabao Cup, Guardiola said. When you win something, it helps you to win more. It’s a pleasure to play against Arsenal, the best team right now in Europe and maybe the world.”
City now prepare for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal knowing history and form offer encouragement, but the Guehi dispute remains unresolved. Guardiola wants a full squad available on 22 March, while City aim to add another EFL Cup title to an already strong record in the competition.