These days, Manchester City seems to excel in almost every competition they participate in, except for the English League Cup. In the third round of this tournament, Newcastle managed to defeat Man City with a score of 1-0. This victory was significant as it had also eluded Pep Guardiola’s team during their impressive treble-winning season last year. Guardiola’s frustration with his team’s first loss of the season was evident, as he received a yellow card in the closing minutes for dissent towards the match officials. Despite leaving star players like Erling Haaland, Kyle Walker, and Phil Foden on the bench, Manchester City controlled the first half of the game. However, they couldn’t convert their possession into goals.

 

Newcastle’s Alexander Isak scored the crucial goal in the 53rd minute. Newcastle had also made significant changes to their lineup, resting key players for another midweek fixture sandwiched between two Champions League challenges. The goal was the result of Joelinton’s impressive dribble into and across the penalty area, bypassing four City defenders before delivering a pass to Isak, who was left unmarked at the far post.
Foden and Jeremy Doku were introduced in the second half, but they couldn’t manage to equalize the score. Surprisingly, Haaland remained on the bench as one of the unused substitutes. It’s worth noting that Manchester City had an impressive record in the League Cup, winning it five times in six seasons until 2021. However, they have now faced elimination for the third consecutive season.

On the other hand, Newcastle had reached the League Cup final last season, where they were defeated by Manchester United.