Semenyo scores again to give City semi-final edge
Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo made it two goals from two games for his new club and Rayan Cherki struck in stoppage-time as Pep Guardiola's side beat Carabao Cup holder Newcastle United 2-0 away in the first leg of their semi-final.
Semenyo, who joined in a £65 million ($130.6 million) deal from Bournemouth this month, got on the end of Jeremy Doku's cross in the 53rd minute to score from close range.
It could have been even better for Semenyo, who thought he had put City 2-0 ahead later on but his neat finish was ruled out for a subjective offside decision after a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) check.
City gave itself a cushion for the second leg on 5 February (AEDT) as Cherki swept in a low shot to silence the home fans.
Newcastle's best chances came just after the break when City keeper James Trafford did well to push a Yoane Wissa effort against the crossbar and Bruno Guimaraes fired a low shot against the woodwork immediately after with the score at 0-0.
Newcastle claimed its first domestic silverware since 1955 last season when it beat Liverpool at Wembley in March but now faces an uphill battle to reach a second successive final.
Semenyo opened his City account in the 10-1 hammering of Exeter City in the FA Cup last weekend and is the first City player to score in his first two appearances for the club in all competitions since Emmanuel Adebayor in 2009.
Newcastle will rue the Carabao Cup rule change that meant Semenyo was eligible to play in the competition despite also featuring for Bournemouth in the second round in August.
The home side had its moments and Wissa should have scored early on but blazed a shot over the crossbar.
City grew in stature and after surviving a couple of scares at the start of the second half it took control.
Semenyo showed a goal sniffer's instinct to get on the end of Doku's cross after it was flicked on by Bernardo Silva.
The Ghanaian was celebrating again when he found the net again by flicking in a corner but after nearly six minutes of VAR checks and a pitchside check, the goal was disallowed because Erling Haaland was deemed to be interfering with play and in an offside position.
It was at the end of nine minutes of stoppage-time, most of it added on for the VAR decision, that Cherki slotted in from a low cut-back from the left to put City on course for its first final in the competition since 2021.
Bernardo Silva labelled the VAR calls "frustrating".
"It should have been 3-0, but we are quite used to this at the moment," Silva said, suggesting VAR has not been kind to City in other matches, too.
"I don't know what to say, I don't want to say too much, because we know how these things work. I saw it, it looked really close to me, but it is what it is.
"It is so frustrating because the last time we came here, we also had a lot of decisions go against us.
"Even though we won, it was just frustrating to be honest."
Silva was, however, pleased for his new team-mate, Semenyo.
"He looks not just a very good player but also a very good guy, which fits right in with the team," Silva said of Semenyo's impact since signing for the club.
"He is a fantastic guy who wants to help us. Hopefully, he can keep going."
Among Premier League players in all competitions, only Erling Haaland (26) and Igor Thiago (17) have scored more goals in 2025-2026 than Semenyo (12).
"Tough game, but if we stuck in there, we knew we would get chances. I was in the right area to tap it in, and we were victorious, so I am happy," Semenyo added.
"The whole environment here is perfect. Everyone is confident and wants to achieve the best.
"I have come into that, and they helped with my confidence and made me feel welcome. It's been a lot, but I have enjoyed it so far.
"I am picking things up very quickly and enjoying it. I am just taking the confidence I had from Bournemouth here and playing with a smile on my face."
Semenyo appeared to say something to the cameras following the full-time whistle, and he revealed what his message was.
"The second goal should have counted," he said. "The referee came and spoke to me and told me what was going on. It is what it is."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe described Cherki's late as a "body blow", but remains optimistic.
"It's a body blow [conceding last minute], but not fatal at the moment," he said. "We're still in there fighting.
"I think maybe a bit of naivety with a minute to go on the clock, that we're still trying to chase a goal. In that moment, we needed to defend after we got our structure wrong from that position, and we got punished.
"I think the lads gave everything under difficult circumstances after the extra time on Saturday [in the FA Cup penalty shoot-out win over Bournemouth], and there was a bit of fatigue in our performance, but I can't fault the players."
Arsenal takes on Chelsea in the first leg of the other semi-final on Thursday.
