On Tuesday evening, Manchester City took a significant stride towards reaching Wembley, but it wasn’t just their commanding 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final that caught attention.
Pep Guardiola’s post-match frustration, aimed at VAR and its unpredictability, overshadowed what was a solid performance by City.
City Dominates, But VAR’s Controversial Moment Clouds the Victory
City’s first-leg triumph was built on goals from new recruit Antoine Semenyo and a dramatic, last-minute strike from Rayan Cherki.
With this result, Guardiola’s team now has a comfortable lead going into the second leg.
However, Guardiola couldn’t ignore the controversial moment during the match—a lengthy, 5-minute and 30-second stoppage to review Semenyo’s goal, which was eventually ruled out due to an offside against Erling Haaland.
Guardiola, despite being pleased with the overall performance, was visibly upset by what he saw as yet another example of VAR’s inconsistencies.
While Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s manager, admitted the delay was excessive, Guardiola took things a step further, questioning the decisions that went against his team in previous encounters.
Guardiola Calls Out VAR After Disallowed Semenyo Goal
Guardiola’s frustration boiled over when he addressed the VAR review.
Speaking about a similar instance during City’s 2-1 loss at St James’ Park in November, he wondered why certain key moments weren’t given the same level of scrutiny.
He referenced a penalty shout against Fabian Schar for a foul on Phil Foden that was never reviewed, as well as a foul on Jeremy Doku that also went unpunished.
“I would like to know why VAR didn’t review that penalty for Schar in the Premier League game,” Guardiola said, shaking his head.
“After 20 minutes, there was a huge foul on Doku, but nothing came of it.
Today, we had a review for over six minutes and still couldn’t decide on the offside.
I’m not suspicious, but I just want to know why.”
His anger wasn’t just about the current match, either.
He mentioned how decisions have seemed to go against City in other games, like the FA Cup final when Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was not sent off for handling the ball outside the box.
Guardiola’s Emotions, But Acknowledging Semenyo’s Contribution
Despite his frustration over the VAR incident, Guardiola didn’t want to let it overshadow the contributions of his players, especially Semenyo, who made an impressive impact after coming on as a substitute.
The new signing, who had previously played in the competition for Bournemouth, scored the opening goal after a superb assist from Bernardo Silva.
“Antoine’s second half was much better,” Guardiola noted.
“But Bernardo? You cannot imagine what a player he is.
He’s so special. He’ll be missed if he ever leaves.
He’s not just a great player, he’s a competitor through and through.”
Guardiola’s praise was effusive, with the City manager acknowledging that his entire squad performed at a high level.
Howe Not Bitter But Acknowledges the Mountain Ahead
For Newcastle, the loss was a tough one to take.
Howe admitted his team faced a significant challenge in turning around the tie, but he remained pragmatic.
“We’ve made it harder for ourselves,” Howe said. “I thought we gave everything tonight.
We had chances, and if we’d gotten that first goal, it could’ve been a different game.
But we conceded at the worst possible time, and that’s something we’ll need to address going into the second leg.”
Howe, despite the defeat, wasn’t bitter about Semenyo’s eligibility to play.
This was a point of contention in 2023 when Martin Dubravka was ineligible to play for Newcastle at Wembley after having appeared for Manchester United earlier in the competition.
“We have a mountain to climb,” Howe admitted, acknowledging that a 1-0 deficit would have felt much less daunting.
“But we need to defend better, especially in those key moments, to keep our chances alive.”
What’s Next?
With City in the driver’s seat, it remains to be seen whether Newcastle can mount a successful comeback in the second leg at the Etihad.
Guardiola, despite his VAR outburst, knows his team is in a strong position.
As for Howe, the task is monumental, but not impossible.
Whatever happens next, this semi-final tie promises to have more drama in store.
Stay tuned for the return leg, where both teams will battle not just for the cup, but for answers about the fairness of the technology that’s supposed to support them.
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