Manchester City’s extra firepower gives them the edge over Newcastle

Newcastle United 0 Manchester City 2 (AET, 0-0 after 90 minutes):

Alvardo Negredo and Edin Dzeko struck twice in extra-time to book Manchester City's place in the last eight of the League Cup.

Goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon also kept a clean sheet to please manager Manuel Pellegrini and increase the pressure on Joe Hart who was relieved of his duties for the visit to Tyneside.

Newcastle deservedly took the visitors to added time and probably had the better of things over 90 minutes, but they could not break the deadlock and instead left St James’ Park digesting an unflattering 2-0 defeat.

And while City's strike pair must take their share of the praise for neat finishes in the 99th and 115th minutes, Pantilimon also did everything that was asked of him.

Put clear
Pantilimon made sure the shutout continued in extra-time when he came out to save well from Cisse, who had been put clear by Ben Arfa's smart ball.

That paved the way for the belated opener after 99 minutes, a relatively simple affair that saw Dzeko drill a low cross into the Newcastle area, where Negredo applied the finishing touch.

The hard-working Dzeko got his own reward just before the break in extra-time by getting on the end of Milner’s pass and rounding the keeper to score.

City had made 10 changes from the side that was beaten by Chelsea at the weekend, the least surprising of which involved the struggling Hart stepping down.

Newcastle United have such an appalling record against Manchester City that it was 2005 when they last beat them, but Alan Pardew’s side at least held their own over the 90 minutes. With a quarter-final place at stake, they made City look ordinary for long periods of normal time.

A very much second-string City kicked off with a sustained period of patient possession football. Undeterred, Newcastle gradually acquired a grip on the game and, perhaps remembering that City have been a little erratic on the road under Manuel Pellegrini, began testing their defensive reflexes.

Nearly scored
They very nearly scored when Shola Ameobi headed on for Papiss Cisse to nip between Dedryck Boyata and Joleon Lescott, extend a boot and shoot narrowly wide.

Minutes later another nodded Ameobi flick-on precipitated a Cisse shot being blocked. Neither of those two strikers started Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat at Sunderland last Sunday.

Cheik Tiote has looked a a midfielder reborn since assuming the captaincy from the injured Fabricio Coloccini.

Tiote and the recalled Vurnon Anita were certainly making Jack Rodwell look rather stodgy and one-paced in City’s central midfield as Newcastle gradually forced the tempo and gained the upper hand.

Pantilimon, showed off his credentials when doing well to repel Ameobi’s volley but the Romanian was beaten by Ameobi’s finish when Cisse’s miscued volley flew across the face of goal. But the effort was disallowed for offside.

Even so home fears of coming undone on the break were heightened when Micah Richards slalomed forward before shooting wastefully wide. And again as Tiote was booked for a rash foul from behind on the substitute Alvaro Negredo.

No one could forget that history was hardly with the home side, Newcastle having failed to win any of their previous 14 encounters with City.

Yet despite odd flashes of skill from Jesus Navas and Richards heading a Milner cross over the bar when he probably should have scored, Pellegrini’s side lacked the killer punch.

It was no surprise when the still struggling Rodwell was replaced by David Silva, although Ameobi's replacement by Yohan Cabaye raised a few eyebrows, many fans feeling Cisse should have been withdrawn.

Belatedly City roused themselves, with their belated pressure almost paying off when Krul just managed to stretch out a hand to divert Negredo's effort at the end of a slick exchange between Edin Dzeko and Negredo. Pardew responded by substituting his left-back Paul Dummett, himself a second-half substitute and introducing Hatem Ben Arfa but the impasse continued until extra-time arrived.
Guardian Service
NEWCASTLE: Krul, Debuchy, Williamson, Yanga-Mbiwa, Haidara (Dummett 46), Tiote, Anita, Sissoko, Shola Ameobi (Cabaye 67), Gouffran, Cisse, Dummett (Ben Arfa 81). Subs not used: Remy,Elliot,Obertan,Sammy Ameobi. Booked: Tiote,Debuchy,Cabaye.
MAN CITY: Pantilimon, Richards ( Zabaleta 83), Boyata, Lescott, Kolarov, Javi Garcia, Rodwell (Silva 64), Navas, Jovetic (Negredo 10), Milner,Dzeko. Sub s not used: Hart,Nasri,Fernandinho,Demichelis. Booked: Javi Garcia,Silva. Att: 33,846
Referee: Neil Swarbrick