Looking at the ball possession data, the match started with the visitors having the upper hand, but the home team came closer to scoring: at the end of a quick counter, Wissa shot over the goal from Murphy’s flat pass. Not long after, Bernardo Silva looked for Haaland with the ball, but Pope put his foot in the pass in time. In the continuation, instead of scoring chances, the sides carved out each other – Murphy had to be replaced due to an injury – so the scoreboard was tied at the break.
After the turn, the “magpies” missed two great opportunities, first Wissa’s header was pushed onto the crossbar by Trafford, then Guimaraes hit the post. They took revenge for their missed opportunity, Doku’s cross from the left was controlled by the sliding in Bernardo Silva, and the ball finally Antoine Semenyo brought it close to the goal. Ten minutes later, the newly confirmed Ghanaian scored again – this time with a corner. Another issue is that the goal was withdrawn by referee Chris Kavanagh due to Haaland’s stoppage.
In the continuation, there were no big chances on the home side, while the guests tried to put the ball away and at the same time sit on the result. The nine-minute extra time brought a Manchester goal instead of an equaliser, from Ait-Nuri’s cross Rayan Cherki shot into the net – Pep Guardiola’s team, with some luck, was able to win at the home of the defending champions, and they can already feel like they are in the final with half a foot.
ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP
PRELIMINARY, 1ST MATCH
Newcastle United–Manchester City 0–2 (Semenyo 53., Cherki 90+8.)
