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Newcastle's grip on the Carabao Cup significantly slackened on Tuesday, after they conceded two second half goals without reply in the Semi-final first leg at St.James' Park.

Unbeaten in their last thirteen league and cup home games, United almost made a perfect start when Yoane Wissa met Jacob Murphy's cross from the right, but sent his shot over the goal protected by visiting custodian James Trafford.

The remainder of the opening period passed with neither side able to apply sustained pressure and City attempts to gain an advantage including a ploy of goading Joelinton - which bore fruit when he was tempted into a yellow card.

What proved to be the home side's best passage of play came in the early stages of the second half, culminating in Trafford clawing away Wissa's goalbound effort and Bruno rattling a City goalpost with his snap shot seconds later.

Things soon took a turn for the worse though, Eddie Howe's side a man short as Jacob Ramsey waiting to return after treatment when Jeremy Doku's left wing centre was helped on by Bernado Silva and finished by Antoine Semenyo.

Semenyo - who wouldn't have been eligible to play until this season's divisive rule change - looked to have added further insult to injury when touching in a 63rd minute corner, only for an elongated VAR review to conclude that Erling Haaland strayed offside and the goal didn't stand.

The remainder of the game saw United unsuccessfully strive to wipe out the one goal deficit, the effort expended in what in time terms amounted four games in seven days not three unsurprisingly taking a toll.

A Sandro Tonali shot soon after flew narrowly wide and fellow substitute Nick Woltemade was twice agonisingly close to converting crosses as the minutes ticked by. The contribution of Anthony Elanga on his return from injury cannot be expressed in positive terms. Words fail frankly.

City sought to take advantage of the home side's desire to level and Pope did well to deny Haaland, but was powerless when Rayan Cherki steered home a low shot in the eighth minute of nine added on - mostly for the VAR inquest.

That killer second strike sucked the air out of the stadium, turning the away leg from an unlikely but theoretically achievable mission into something akin to fantasy football.

What is in all probability a futile exercise will still require a full-strength side to be fielded at the Etihad though: to do anything less than that would risk a walloping. 

Quite what that best XI will look like by then is anyone's guess; with the little matter of games against Wolves, PSV, Villa, PSG and Liverpool before returning to a ground where we've lost 11 on the bounce and not scored in any of our last seven visits since DeAndre Yedlin in 2018.

More to follow....  

Team: Pope, L.Miley, Hall, Thiaw, Botman, Joelinton, Guimaraes (Trippier 87), Ramsey (Tonali 69), Gordon (Elanga 69), J.Murphy (Barnes 45+2), Wissa (Woltemade 69).
Subs n/u: A.Murphy, Neave, Ramsdale, Willock.

Booked: Joelinton, Guimaraes, Trippier, Tonali.

MCFC: Trafford, Nunes (Lewis 62), Ake (Ait-Nouri 88), Khusanov, Alleyne, O'Reilly (Rodri 62), Silva, Foden (Reijnders 62), Doku (Cherki 77), Semenyo, Haaland.
Subs n/u: Donnarumma, Gray, McAidoo, Mukasa.

Booked: O'Reilly, Nunes, Silva, Lewis.

Goals: Semenyo 53, Cherki 90+8

Crowd: 51,392

Referee: Chris Kavanagh - third Toon posting of the season - all at SJP - for the official who was born in Ashton-under-Lyne. Overseeing our 1-0 PL victory over Wolves, he returned for the 2-0 Carabao Cup conquest of Spurs.

Kavanagh also took charge of Newcastle's last League Cup victory over Manchester City, at SJP in September 2023.

VAR: Stuart Attwell - who refereed United's 2-0 League Cup success away at Manchester City back in October 2014.

Eddie Howe said:

"We're still alive, still in there fighting.

"We won by this scoreline (2-0) at Arsenal last year and felt the tie was still very much alive. If we can get the next goal we're still very much in it.

On squad shortcomings:

"Defensively we're really stretched. We're pinning our hopes on Dan (Burn) being back pretty soon. That would give us a massive lift and, of course, the transfer market is still available to us.

"We don't think Jacob's (Murphy) injury is serious. But of course, we're waiting to see the full extent. He's had a hamstring problem for a couple of weeks. He's had two scans that have come back clear, so we're not quite sure what's going on with him."

On Yoane Wissa's early miss:

"Looking back with hindsight, you'd say that's potentially a big turning point. We wanted to get the crowd fully into the match. Manchester City want to do the opposite by retaining the ball and calm the crowd down, also it's always that dynamic by the two teams.

"Yoane's a top player. He's still finding his very best level after a long time injured. Maybe in a couple more weeks that might've gone in.

"All I can look at is the effort levels of the players, and I think considering Saturday's efforts that we gave against Bournemouth, that was a great effort from the guys against the worst side that could expose that fatigue."

On conceding the second goal:

"It's a body blow but not fatal at the moment. We're still in there fighting. I think maybe a bit of naivety with a minute to go on the clock, that we're still trying to chase a goal.

"In that moment, we needed to defend after we got our structure wrong from that position, and we got punished.

"I think the lads gave everything today under difficult circumstances after the extra time on Saturday (against Bournemouth in the FA Cup). There was a bit of fatigue in our performance, but I can't fault the players."

On Antoine Semenyo being eligible to play:

"I don't think bitter is the right word, I think the rules are the rules. They're there, I don't think I can focus on that too much.

"I'd probably like to focus more on the fact we had 10 men when they scored their first goal because I just don't get that.

"JJ's (Jacob Ramsey) gone down with a head injury, he gets an elbow in the head and we get punished for that. I don't see that that's right."

On City's disallowed goal:

"It's not that I don't care. I'm pleased that it's ruled out. I've got no opinion because I haven't seen it again."

Stats:

Newcastle's 2-0 away success in October 2014 remains our only league or cup victory at the Eithad in 22 visits.

Were United to repeat that score during 90 minutes in the Semi-final second leg, then 30 minutes extra time would be played. The tie would then be go to penalties if required.

NUFC v MCFC in the League Cup - all-time:

1975/76 F lost 1-2 (Wembley) Gowling
1994/95 R4 drew 1-1 (Maine Road) Jeffrey
1994/95 R4 replay lost 0-2 (SJP)
2013/14 R4 lost 0-2 (SJP)
2014/15 R4 won 2-0 (Etihad) Aarons, Sissoko
2023/24 R3 won 1-0 (SJP) Isak
2025/26 SF lost first leg 0-2 (SJP then Etihad)

The black and whites have won all three of the previous semi-finals they have contested, but this is the first when they've not enjoyed second leg home advantage:

1975/76 Spurs: lost 0-1 (a), won 3-1 (h)
2022/23 Southampton: won 1-0 (a), won 2-1 (h)
2024/25 Arsenal: won 2-0 (a), won 2-0 (h)
2025/26 Manchester City: lost 0-2 (h) then (a)

Citizens in Toon - PL era:

2025/26 Lost 0-2
2025/26 Won 2-1 Barnes 2
2024/25 Drew 1-1 Gordon (pen)
2023/24 Lost 2-3 Isak, Gordon
2023/24 Won 1-0 Isak (LC)
2022/23 Drew 3-3 Almiron, Wilson, Trippier
2021/22 Lost 0-4
2020/21 Lost 3-4 Krafth, Joelinton (pen), Willock
2019/20 Lost 0-2 (FAC)
2019/20 Drew 2-2 Willems, Shelvey
2018/19 Won 2-1 Rondon, Ritchie (pen)
2017/18 Lost 0-1
2015/16 Drew 1-1 Anita
2014/15 Lost 0-2
2013/14 Lost 0-2
2013/14 Lost 0-2 (LC)
2012/13 Lost 1-3 Ba
2011/12 Lost 0-2
2010/11 Lost 1-3 Carroll
2008/09 Drew 2-2 Ameobi, og(Dunne)
2007/08 Lost 0-2
2006/07 Lost 0-1
2005/06 Won 1-0 Owen
2004/05 Won 4-3 Robert, Shearer, Elliott, Bellamy
2003/04 Won 3-0 Shearer 2, Ameobi
2002/03 Won 2-0 Shearer, Bellamy
2001/02 Won 1-0 Solano (FAC)
2000/01 Lost 0-1
1995/96 Won 3-1 Ferdinand 2, Beardsley
1994/95 Drew 0-0
1994/95 Won 3-1 Gillespie 2, Beresford (FA)
1994/95 Lost 0-2 (LC)
1993/94 Won 2-0 Cole 2

Carabao Cup Semi-finals:

Tue 13.01.2026:
Newcastle 0-2 Manchester City

Wed 14.01.2026:
Chelsea v Arsenal (8pm) Sky

Tue 03.02.2026:
Arsenal v Chelsea (8pm) ITV

Wed 04.02.2026:
Manchester City v Newcastle (8pm) Sky

Update:
Training ground claim

PLIC:
Beaten again

Newcastle U21s  0  Benfica B  5

Newcastle U21s concluded their Premier League International Cup participation at Whitley Park on Tuesday afternoon with a third defeat in four group stage games.

The Portuguese side recorded a 5-1 success at the same venue last October in the UEFA U19 Youth League and dominated a managerless Magpies side once again.

Ahead after 10 minutes when Olivio Tome fired into the roof of the net, Benfica then doubled their lead thanks to a 20th minute header from Leandro Martins.

Livewire attacker Goncalo Moreira caused United all sorts of problems in the U19 meeting and took just six minutes after arriving from the bench to fire his side further ahead.

Moreira then netted the rebound after fellow substitute Francisco Silva's header hit the bar on 85 minutes, before Silva himself rounded off the scoring with a close range header in time added on. 

Team: Ad.Harrison, C.Thompson, Charlton, McArthur, Pivas, Finneran (Munda 60), Shahar (Watts 46), Alabi (M.Miley 27), Wooster (Park 60), Al.Harrison (Fitzgerald 76), Ferreira.
Subs n/u: Taylor, Hutchison.

Referee: Jacob Viera

FA Cup:
Villans test set

2025/26 drew 0-0
2024/25 lost 1-4 Schar
2023/24 won 3-1 Schar 2, og(Moreno)
2022/23 lost 0-3
2021/22 lost 0-2
2020/21 lost 0-2
2019/20 lost 0-2
2016/17 drew 1-1 og(Elphick) (Ch)
2015/16 drew 0-0
2014/15 drew 0-0

Update:
Bantams take two

League One side Bradford City have completed loan deals taking Magpies duo Harrison Ashby and Joe White to Valley Parade for the remainder of the season.

Despite featuring in Newcastle's 25 man PL squad, full back Ashby hasn't played senior football this season, following loans at Swansea City in 2023/24 and QPR in 2024/25.

This will be the sixth temporary departure from Tyneside for midfielder White, following stints with Hartlepool United, Exeter City, Crewe Alexandra, MK Dons and Leyton Orient - the latter ending in recent days but blighted by injury.

Update:
Botman's birthday gift

FA Cup:
Whole lotta glove!

Newcastle  3  Bournemouth  3
(Newcastle win 7-6 on pens aet)

Match action

Match report

Departure:
Lawrence stands down

Newcastle U21s  0  Boro U21s  1

Match report

Departure:
Bairns take Ben

Premier League:
Just love it!

Match action

Match report

Premier League:
Wolves (a)

Champions League:
PSV Eindhoven (h)

1968/69 Feyenoord won 4-0 (FC)
1997/98 PSV Eindhoven lost 0-2 (CL)
2002/03 Feyenoord lost 0-1 (CL)
2003/04 NAC Breda won 5-0 (UE)
2003/04 PSV Eindhoven won 2-1 (UE)
2004/05 Heerenveen won 2-1 (UE)
2006/07 AZ Alkmaar won 4-2 (EL)

2025/26:
Senior Cup latest