Newcastle United progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Under the guidance of Eddie Howe, Newcastle initially struggled to find their rhythm but gradually gained momentum as the first half progressed. Alexander Isak emerged as the hero, scoring the only goal of the match and propelling last season’s finalists into the next round. This defeat marked Manchester City’s first loss within 90 minutes this season under the leadership of Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City showcased their dominance early on, with their first chance arriving in the 18th minute. Oscar Bobb, a talented youngster, provided a precise pass to Julian Alvarez. Despite firing from a difficult angle, Alvarez’s strike was expertly saved by Newcastle’s goalkeeper Nick Pope, who stretched out his right foot to deny the Argentine forward.
Alvarez continued to threaten, unleashing another effort across the goal as Manchester City asserted their control. Meanwhile, Newcastle struggled to maintain possession and struggled to create any notable opportunities.
It wasn’t until the closing stages of the first half that Newcastle finally managed to breach Manchester City’s defense. Isak skillfully found Jacob Murphy in the box, who, after taking a couple of touches, attempted to place his shot into the far bottom corner. However, Stefan Ortega, Manchester City’s goalkeeper, denied him with a fantastic save using his feet.
Buoyed by this chance, Newcastle carried their newfound momentum into the second half and broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Joelinton burst into the box and delivered a precise pass to Isak, who calmly slotted the ball home at the back post.
Manchester City struggled to create any significant chances in the second half, with their first shot on target coming in the 75th minute. Jack Grealish cut inside and unleashed an effort that Nick Pope comfortably dealt with.
As the game neared its conclusion and Manchester City increased the pressure, Anthony Gordon nearly sealed the victory for Newcastle. However, his shot from a tight angle was straight at Ortega.
In the dying moments, substitute Jeremy Doku found Rico Lewis, but the 18-year-old’s shot from 25 yards narrowly missed the target, ultimately marking Manchester City’s last chance of the evening.
