1 hour ago
3
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
20 min: A long clearance from Trafford drops at the feet of Lewis Miley, who sends it back upfield. Lewis Hall runs at the City defence and is blatantly tripped by Semenyo, who is lucky to avoid a booking.
18 min: James Trafford does Max Alleyne few favours by passing the ball short to him in an area where he almost certainly doesn’t want it and the young centre-half is immediately put under severe pressure by Jacob Murphy. He elects to hoy the ball into the safety of the stand and it takes a deflection off Murphy on its way into Row Z.
16 min: Jeremy Doku plays a low Hail Mary ball into space behind the Newcastle defensive for Haaland to chase but there’s far too much welly on his pass for the big man to reach it before Nick Pope.
14 min: Joelinton plays the ball wide to Gordon on the left and his cross, when it arrives, picks out the Brazilian on the edge of the City penalty area. Joelinton gets his head to the ball but is unable to steer it on target.
13 min: City corner. Phil Foden’s near post delivery is headed clear but the visitors recycle the ball. A Haaland foul on Malick Thiaw gifts possession back to Newcastle.
11 min: A correction: It was Jacob Murphy, not Anthony Gordon, who crossed to Wissa for that Big Newcastle Opportunity. I mean, I have one job and it’s not like they look even remotely alike.
9 min: Out on the left wing, Doku jinks this way and that before cutting inside Jacob Murphy. He slips and loses his footing, allowing the Newcastle winger to recover the ball.
7 min: City advance upfield, having survived that early scare. Anthony Gordon is forced to hack clear after Bernardo Silva runs on to a weighted Doku ball in behind and almost picks out Haaland with a pull-back from the byline. The ball took a nick off a defender en route to the Norwegian.
5 min: That’s more like it. Newcastle work the ball from back to front and Anthony Gordon curls a low cross from the right into the path of Yoane Wissa. His first touch his excellent but the second isn’t great – leaning back, he balloons a shot high and wide when he should have scored.
4 min: It’s cagey stuff in these early stages, with little or nothing of significance to report.
3 min: Trafford gets another touch upon receiving a backpass from Nathan Ake, who is playing at left-back for City.
1 min: Lewis Miley takes a throw-in deep in his own half, Erling Haaland wins it before being quickly dispossessed and Newcastle advance with Joelinton on the ball.
Newcastle United v Manchester City is go ...
1 min: Phil Foden gets the ball rolling for Manchester City, giving James Trafford an early touch. The goalkeeper boots it long and within a few seconds the ball’s back at his feet.
Not long now: The sax solo from The Blaydon Races concludes and referee Chris Kavanagh and his team of match officials lead the players of both sides out on to the pitch. Bernardo Silva and Bruno Guimaraes skipper the sides and kick-off is just a few minutes away.
An email: “G’Day Bazza,” writes Chris Paraskevas from Australia. “It’s a civilized 0700 kickoff for those of us Down Under and there is only one question on Newcastle fans’ collective hive mind: will Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga wear matching headbands tonight?
“As the season has progressed, Gordon has moved from plain black headband to a branded Adidas one, but Elanga’s game and fashion have comparatively stalled this season - maybe he’ll go fot something spicey, like one of the bandanas the gangsters wear in Blood In Blood Out.
“I have a feeling this game might be decided by one or two of the substitutes and Elanga is one of those who needs to start contributing more assists and goals if we’re to kick on this season.”
Goalkeeping news: The chances of James Trafford joining Newcastle from Manchester City in the summer heightened on Monday when Eddie Howe spoke admiringly of the goalkeeper and Pep Guardiola left open the porspect of a move. Louise Taylor and Jamie Jackson report …
This just in: Manchester United have confirmed what we already knew – Michael Carrick will take interim charge of their first team until the end of the season. In a statement on their website, the club said they are “delighted” to announce their former midfielder’s appointment.
““Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honour,” said Carrick. “I know what it takes to succeed here; my focus is now on helping the players to reach the standards that we expect at this incredible club, which we know that this group is more than capable of producing.
“I have worked with a number of the players already and have obviously continued to watch the team closely in recent years, I have total belief in their talents, dedication and ability to be successful here. There is still a lot to fight for this season, we are ready to pull everyone together and give the fans the performances that their loyal support deserves.”
Tonight’s match officials
-
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
-
Referee’s assistants: Dan Cook and Ian Hussin
-
Fourth official: Matthew Donohue
-
VAR: Stuart Attwell
-
Assistant VAR: Craig Taylor
Pre-match managerial musings ...
Eddie Howe: “Pep will tactically have something ready for us and we will have to be at our very best to get through,” said the Newcastle head coach at his pre-match press conference. “They change and tinker a lot with the tactical set-up they have. They’re a difficult team to read and know how to plan and prepare for.”
Pep Guardiola: “I didn’t go to sleep last night thinking about how my genius can come up with a plan for Eddie Howe,” said the City boss. “Many years since Eddie Howe took over, look how many games they have won in the last minute. The push from the crowd - it’s always been like that for a long time. In that stadium it is special. The semi-finals, playing Arsenal and Chelsea, it would be as difficult as Newcastle is.”
Those teams: Eddie Howe makes seven changes to the side that started against Bournemouth, some of them enforced. Nick Pope is back between the sticks, while Lewis Miley, Lewis Hall, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon also return. As expected, Harvey Barnes starts on the bench despite his sizzling xcurrent form.
Pep Guardiola makes five changes: Nico O’Reilly, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku all come into the side, while Antoine Semenyo makes his second start for his new club.
Newcastle United v Manchester City line-ups
Newcastle: Pope, Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Guimaraes, Ramsey, Joelinton, Murphy, Wissa, Gordon.
Subs: Ramsdale, Trippier, Tonali, Barnes, Elanga, Woltemade, Willock, Alex Murphy, Neave.
Manchester City: Trafford, Matheus Luiz, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake, Silva, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Foden, Doku, Haaland.
Subs: Donnarumma, Cherki, Reijnders, Rodri, Ait Nouri, McAidoo, Gray, Mukasa, Lewis.
Route to the semi-final
Newcastle: Bradford City (4-1), Tottenham Hotspur (2-0), Fulham (2-1)
Manchester City: Huddersfield Town (2-0), Swansea City (3-1), Brentford (2-0)
Early team news
While Eddie Howe said assessing his players’ “energy levels” in the wake of Saturday’s epice FA Cup tie against Bournemouth would be important ahead of tonight’s team selection, Newcastle are definitely without defenders Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento, while reserve defenders Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles are also unavailable.
William Osula remains sidelined with an ankle injury, while Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga were to face late fitness tests. With a daunting run of fixtures looming for Newcastle, the in-form Harvey Barnes may be kept in reserve on the bench having played every single minute of his side’s past two games.
Manchester City have absentees of their own at the back, with Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol all injured, while Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb and Savinho are also out. Omar Marmoush is still away with Egypt, preparing for tomorrow’s Afcon semi-final against Senegal. At his press conference yesterday, Pep Guardiola echoed the sentiments of many, including his opposite number, in saying he would prefer if this Carabao Cup final was not played over two legs and was instead just “one game”.
Carabao Cup: Newcastle United v Manchester City
To Tyneside, where Newcastle host perennial heavyweights Manchester City in the first installment of this winter double-header. There’s a place at Wembley up for grabs, with Eddie Howe’s side the current holders of the three-handled trophy Manchester City used to win as matter of course.
As up-and-down as their season has been thus far, the hosts are in an excellent run of form and have turned St James’ Park into something of a fortress – unbeaten in 13 at home (W11 D2 – and haven’t lost their knack for the dramatic, evidenced by Saturday’s chaotic 7-6 penalty shootout win over Bournemouth.
Manchester City’s season to date has been similarly unpredictable. They spent the weekend treating their match against Exeter City like a light training session in a 10-1 demolition, yet their Premier League form has been uncharacteristically sticky and three straight draws have left them chasing Arsenal’s tail. Kick-off in this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at St James’ Park is at 8pm but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
