Analysis: Etihad nightmare continues – Yahoo Sports

History was always against the holders.

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

Newcastle have also only ever won once at the Etihad.

But this game got away from Eddie Howe’s team far too quickly.

Advertisement

As much as Newcastle found former target Trafford in fine form, the visitors were easily undone time and time again in the first half as they naively left gaps in an attempt to, somehow, get back into the tie.

Newcastle’s midfield was repeatedly bypassed while a leggy back five struggled to handle Omar Marmoush.

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

It summed up Newcastle’s opening 45 minutes as gallows humour later spread across the away end and the travelling support chanted: “We’re going to win 6-5!”

Advertisement

Having already lost Anthony Gordon to a hamstring injury, it was rather telling that Howe made three further changes at half-time in an effort to jolt his side.

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

Wasteful Newcastle could have scored several more, but this heavy aggregate defeat was not the way the holders wanted to hand over the trophy they had waited so long to win.