Man City's quadruple hopes already over after League Cup loss to Newcastle
The quadruple talk is over before it barely began.
Manchester City's hopes of winning the League Cup were dashed in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United.
Alexander Isak scored in the 53rd minute following a dominant first half from last season's treble winners. Pep Guardiola's side couldn't restore parity despite the introductions of Jeremy Doku, Matheus Nunes, and Phil Foden from the bench.
Manchester City's League Cup record under Guardiola
Season | Result |
---|---|
2016-17 | Fourth-round exit |
2017-18 | Winners |
2018-19 | Winners |
2019-20 | Winners |
2020-21 | Winners |
2021-22 | Fourth-round exit |
2022-23 | Quarterfinal exit |
2023-24 | Third-round exit |
Young Norwegian attacker Oscar Bobb was among the most impressive players during a strong start from City, but both teams were limited to just one shot on target in the opening half.
Newcastle played more positively at the start of the second period and soon took the lead. Joelinton made a diagonal run into the box and cut a ball back that rolled past two blue shirts before finding Isak at the back post. The Swedish striker took one touch and then stabbed it home.
City found it hard to fashion a decent chance for the rest of the match, resulting in their elimination from a tournament where they've tasted plenty of success in their recent history. It also shelves the dream of the club topping last term's treble triumph with an unprecedented quadruple.
"So, we had a little discussion, and the only way is to just do it again or do the quadruple," Foden told Sky Sports earlier this month. "That's the aim now."
Before the trip to Newcastle, Guardiola said Foden made a "big mistake" in talking about trophies so early in a season.
Newcastle now face a trip to Manchester United in the fourth round. The Magpies, who are chasing their first major piece of silverware since their 1955 FA Cup success, lost to Manchester United in last season's League Cup final.
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