'We’re going to go for it' - Man City keep trophy quest going with routine win over Newcastle

Pep Guardiola's side will be at their best come the end of the season, Rodri vows.

Mon, 18 Mar, 2024 - 06:33

Ian Whittell

MAN CITY 2 NEWCASTLE 0

Wembley Stadium may have been Pep Guardiola’s home away from home in his eight seasons in English football, but this year’s targets for Manchester City extend way beyond yet another FA Cup semi-final appearance at the historic old ground.

An effortless 2-0 win over struggling Newcastle carried Guardiola and City through to a record sixth successive FA Cup semi-final and his seventh in eight attempts.

Bernardo Silva’s two deflected goals mean City will be looking to improve on their record of just two victories in those previous six semi outings, in the process booking a return to the Twin Towers for what would be Guardiola’s third FA Cup Final in May.

This season’s Champions League final takes place at Wembley, by which stage City could be on the verge of an incredible treble for a second successive season, although this week’s draw for that competition has not been kind.

City will have to face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the semis although, arguably more daunting, they first have to get past old rivals Real Madrid, having been drawn against them for a third consecutive season in the last eight.

“In my case, four times in five years since I’m here,” said City’s inspirational midfielder Rodri. “Yeah, we like Madrid. My home, my city. It is what it is.

“At the end you have to face the best teams sooner or later. We face maybe the best team with us in the last years. We’re going to go for it.”

Guardiola, understandably, refused to be drawn into hypotheticals about Wembley fixtures to come. After all, his next league game after the upcoming international break is at home to Arsenal where defeat could all but end City’s title hopes.

Instead, there will be a dash back home to Spain and keeping his fingers crossed that all his international players return from duty unscathed.

“I will not watch the games,” said Guardiola.

“We will rest and, when we come back on Thursday, we’ll see which players survive and which not survive.”

MAN CITY (4-2-3-1): Ortega 7; Walker 7, Akanji 7, Dias 6, Gvardiol 6; Rodri 6, Kovacic 7; Silva 8, Foden 7, Doku 7 (Bobb 77, 5); Haaland 7 (Gomez 86). Substitutes (not used) Stones, Ake, Grealish, Alvarez, Nunes, Carson, Lewis.

NEWCASTLE (5-3-2): Dubravka 8; Murphy 6, Lascelles 5, Schar 5, Botman 5 (Krafth 83), Burn 5 (Hall 62, 5); Longstaff 5 (Miley 62, 5), Guimaraes 8, Willock 5 (Anderson 62, 7); Gordon 5 (Almiron 62, 5), Isak 5. Substitutes (not used) Dummett, Ritchie, Targett, Karius.

Referee S Hooper 7