Carabao Cup
Fernandes anticipates tricky EFL Cup final against ‘biggest surprise’ Newcastle
Bruno Fernandes believes the form of Newcastle United is “the biggest surprise of the season” and is expecting a “pretty difficult” EFL Cup final.
Manchester United face Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday, with both teams impressing this season after struggling in the 2021-22 campaign.
As well as reaching the final, United have worked their way into the Premier League title race, while Newcastle remain in the hunt for a top-four spot and Champions League qualification.
“I think everyone knows that Newcastle is being probably the biggest surprise of the season,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “Not because of their qualities, because the quality has been always there, but because last season they struggle to stay in the Premier League and this season they’re doing really well.
“I think everyone knows [they are] a pretty strong and intense team. They haven’t conceded many goals this season. I think probably the best or the second best in Europe.
“But it’s more about us. It’s more about what we can do towards them, what we can do in our intensity levels, passion levels and quality-wise. Because we know that it will be a pretty difficult final whoever the opponent will be. It’s always difficult because it’s a final, the desire, the passion to win a trophy is always at the highest.”
United’s resurgence has been swift since Erik ten Hag came in as manager from Ajax, including Thursday’s victory against Barcelona in the Europa League playoff round.
“He brought his ideas, the discipline during the training sessions, during the week, during the games,” Fernandes said. “Obviously I think the most important change is the results and confidence is much higher now at this moment.
“We believe that the process that we are going through is the right one. I think everyone has the right belief. Everyone is following the ideas that the coach has brought to the club, to the team.”
The 28-year-old has seven goals and nine assists in 37 games for United this season, and understands that he and his team-mates must keep up the high standards implemented by Ten Hag if they are to have sustained success.
“The process is still on and we have to understand that it’s still a long way for us because we want to achieve much bigger things and obviously the manager demands that from us,” he said.
“I have been talking with him sometimes and he’s always saying that he has the same desire as me. He is not happy with being behind anyone. So that’s a good thing. He brought that culture that we can’t be happy to be behind anyone and whenever we are in front, we can’t be happy to be with a smaller gap.
“I think that’s a great thing to have because we can’t be satisfied playing for Man United and not winning trophies and not being in the position of winning trophies.
“But as I said, it is a process. It’s six or seven months now and things are going pretty quickly. I think from outside probably more because people never thought that United will be in this position at this time because all the changes, because the new manager, because the results in the beginning.
“But obviously it’s up to us, up to our qualities, up to what we have been doing really well… it’s [up to] us to carry on doing our best because we don’t want people to forget how good we are.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants defender Marc Guehi to be allowed to play in their League Cup final against Arsenal, saying the club will ask organisers to reconsider eligibility rules.
City booked their place at Wembley with a 3-1 home win over Newcastle United in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg, completing a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Competition rules make Guehi ineligible for the final because he featured earlier in the tournament for Crystal Palace, and joined City after the first leg of the semi-final.
“Why should he (Guehi) not play? Why not? We pay his salary, he is our player,” Guardiola told reporters.
“You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play, for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it.
“I told the club we must ask – hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final.”
The League Cup final between City and Arsenal is scheduled for March 22.
-Reuters
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Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said reaching Wembley for the first time since 2020 – thanks to a 4-2 aggregate League Cup semi-final win over Chelsea – would give his players a boost for a hectic season run-in.
“It’s the best vitamins we can put in our bodies because we are playing every three days,” Arteta told reporters after Arsenal beat their London rivals 1-0 on Tuesday to seal their place in the final of England’s second domestic cup competition.
The Spaniard said the prospect of a return to Wembley for the first time since he guided his team to victory in the FA Cup final – also against Chelsea – six years ago was magical, before adding: “Now we are going to have to go and win it.”
Arsenal had failed to make it through their previous four major cup semi-finals – two in the League Cup and another two in Europe – before overcoming Chelsea on Tuesday.
With the visitors desperately seeking the goal they needed to level the tie on aggregate, former Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz ran clear to score in the final moments of the semi-final second leg
The German has missed much of this season through injury and Arteta hailed his return to form.
“Today was a special moment for him and I hope that he fully enjoys it,” he said.
The Premier League leaders – who are also competing in the FA Cup and the Champions League – will face either Manchester City or Newcastle United who play their semi-final second leg on Wednesday with City 2-0 ahead from the first leg.
Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said his players’ disciplined performance showed how much the team had developed since the chaotic 3-2 home loss to Arsenal in last month’s first leg, which was only his second match in charge after replacing Enzo Maresca.
“Ultimately their goal comes when we’re throwing the kitchen sink at the game. That’s going to happen,” Rosenior said. “We can’t let this setback affect our future. There were aspects of our game that I am very happy with.”
He said winger Pedro Neto and club captain Reece James had not made the squad on Tuesday after picking up “small knocks” and he praised 18-year-old Brazil winger Estevao who made a 48-hour round trip to Brazil for compassionate reasons but was back in London to come off the bench for Chelsea in the second half.
-Reuters
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Omar Marmoush scored twice as Manchester City set up a League Cup final date with Arsenal after a comprehensive 3-1 second-leg victory over visiting Newcastle United secured a 5-1 aggregate win in their semi-final on Wednesday.
The home side were ruthless in the first half as Tijjani Reijnders also got on the scoresheet and now face Arsenal at Wembley on March 22 in a battle between City manager Pep Guardiola and his protege Mikel Arteta.
“We showed a very good mentality,” Marmoush told Sky Sports. “We were together as a team, from the first minute, we were very focused on the job. We showed our mentality and passion, and are very happy to reach the final.
“We are here to win trophies. We give our best every day to reach these finals and win silverware. Hopefully, we can do it for all the new players and also the players that were here.”
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, the last thing Newcastle needed was to concede early at the Etihad Stadium, but Marmoush’s shot deflected off defender Dan Burn and into the net inside six minutes.
The Egypt international added a second on the night with a close-range header from Antoine Semenyo’s cross. Marmoush has now scored 12 goals for City and five have come against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.
A rampant City scored a third before halftime and Semenyo was involved again as he created the chance for Reijnders to finish.
Newcastle pulled a goal back just past the hour mark when substitute Anthony Elanga showed quick feet to work a shooting chance and curled his effort past James Trafford in the home goal.
Elanga missed two superb chances to reduce the deficit further, one scarcely believable from right in front of the goal, while Erling Haaland brushed the post at the other end.
City won four League Cup titles in a row between 2018 and 2021 and have eight in all; only Liverpool (10) have won it more.
Arsenal have not lifted the trophy in 33 years and have two previous wins.
-Reuters
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