Manchester City 2 (Antoine Semenho 53′, Rayan Cherki 90+8′)
Newcastle United 0
Manchester City took control of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle United with a 2-2 win over Eddie Howe’s side at St James’ Park. Second-half goals from Antoine Semenho and Rayan Cherki were enough to put Guardiola’s side in control of the game. The second leg will be played at the Etihad Stadium on February 4. Newcastle did have their bright moments, with Eoin Vessa missing a simple chance early in the game and James Trafford again blocking Vessa’s shot in the second half before Bruno Guimarães hit the post before City opened the scoring. But from the moment Antoine Semenho opened the scoring, you always felt City were in control of the game as they produced a mature performance at St James’ Park.
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Here are my observations from a mature City win that felt like a big step forward for Guardiola’s side. VAR also became a major talking point during the game at St James’ Park.
Manchester City produced a mature performance in a hostile environment.
This season so far has been a journey that has seen this new Manchester City side grow and mature. There were constant signs of improvement throughout the season, but also mixed with growing pains. This is to be expected as the City team grows and matures together. Last night’s game at St James’ Park was a huge moment for Pep Guardiola’s side. This is a major test in a harsh environment. By the time the final whistle blew, City had passed the test.
The first half, while entertaining, lacked any real action on goal other than a fourth-minute error from Jon Wiesa. Newcastle were strong on the break but City were content to retain possession and keep the crowd away from the game. In the first half, City’s plan worked.
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The game started in the second half and Manchester City took a huge advantage in tonight’s first leg. Both teams had chances, but goals from Antoine Semenho and Rayan Cherki gave City the win. Yes, Newcastle had their chances before City opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, but it was almost a perfect away performance from City in the first leg of the two-legged tie.
For me, City’s performance was reminiscent of the controlled away performances we saw in the 2022/23 Champions League. Yes, City are not perfect, but this team has followed Guardiola’s blueprint, which is pleasing to see.
Antoine Semenyo made an immediate difference to Manchester City’s attack.
Antoine Semenho has played two games for Manchester City so far and scored two goals. He should have scored three goals in two games for City, but more on that later. It’s clear what Semenho adds to Guardiola’s side. His first goal tonight proved that.
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Raheem Sterling came in from the wing and scored many goals for City. Riyad Mahrez is a natural striker from the wing, albeit not in the same way as Sterling and Semenho scored last night. After Riyad Mahrez left Manchester City, apart from the 23/24 season starring Phil Foden, they lacked a stable shooter on the wing. Jeremy Doku, Oscar Bobb and Savinho are not consistent shooters and don’t know where they should be in the penalty area. Antoine Semenho is such a person. He knew where to end flicks from Jeremy Doku and Bernardo Silva. If not for the ridiculous VAR decision, Semenho should have scored another goal. The Ghana international added to the tally for Pep Guardiola’s side and with Haaland looking tired, he is a huge addition to City’s side.
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VAR was in full force at St James’ Park and the absurdity of it all was shocking.
Now, onto the elephant in the room. Antoine Semenho appeared to double City’s lead in the 63rd minute. Semenho beat Tijani Reynders’ corner kick in the Newcastle United goal past the embattled Nick Pope. It was a great corner kick and a poacher’s shot from Semenho. Until VAR intervened. Semenho’s goal was eventually ruled out after a six-minute delay. VAR ruled that Erling Haaland had blocked Malik Thiaw in an offside position and the goal was disallowed. The amount of time it took VAR to make a decision was ridiculous, especially for one that wasn’t a roaring decision. It was a borderline call at best and by the time it was over VAR had become a howler. This is ironic considering VAR’s original purpose.
My question is: what is VAR doing? Technically, the decision may be the right one, but is that what VAR is for? Is it to overturn subjective decisions in this way? No, it’s not. Now, it takes too long to refuse to achieve its goals. VAR can actually review a decision to rule out Semenho’s goal within six minutes, but less time is required, for example not to send off Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson for clear possession of the ball outside the penalty area in last season’s FA Cup final, or not to award City a penalty for a blatant foul on Phil Foden in City’s 2-1 loss at St James’ Park earlier this season.
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I don’t believe in conspiracy theories. Every fan of another club will have a series of VAR decisions that don’t go their way. That’s the problem. It doesn’t work as well as it should, leaves out too much and is completely inconsistent with VAR. That’s what I thought about last night’s meltdown. Guardiola shared his thoughts on the matter after last night’s fantastic win and he summed it up better than I could. Below is a clip of Guardiola speaking on VAR.
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