Manchester City’s new signing Antoine Semenho scored his second goal in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle, as Josep Guardiola’s side moved within reach of the English League Cup final.
forward, who Joins City from Bournemouth He scored the opening goal in the first leg of the $87 million semi-final at St James’s Park last week and substitute Rayan Cherki scored the second goal in added time.
Semenyo also scored on his debut in the 10-1 FA Cup win over Exeter at the weekend.
“The whole environment here is perfect,” he said. “Everyone is confident and wants to achieve the best. I’m new to that world, but they helped give me confidence and made me feel welcome.”
It could have been even better for the Ghanaian international, who saw his brilliant backheel goal canceled out for a slight offside.
Semenyo, 26, already looks like a smart signing for City after establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s top talents at Bournemouth. He has scored 10 goals for the Cherries this season.
City captain Bernardo Silva told ITV Sport: “He’s not just a very good player, he’s a very good player and that helps and he fits into the team.” “He’s a great player who wants to play in a group, wants to help, wants to have fun, and we’re happy with the way he’s started.”
Semenyo has added a new dimension to City’s attack as Guardiola targets four trophies this season.
The League Cup could be the first of those, with City retaining a two-goal advantage over holders Newcastle heading into next month’s second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Semenyo put City ahead in the 53rd minute with a simple goal from close range. It looked like he would have scored an even better second goal with a backheel volley, but a lengthy VAR check ruled out the shot as Erling Haaland was in an offside position.
City had to wait until the eighth minute of stoppage time to cut their lead to two points when Cherki fired a shot past Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope from inside the penalty area.
That goal left Newcastle with a mountain to climb if they want to continue retaining the trophy. won last year To end the 70-year wait for major domestic silver products.
Eddie Howe’s side had their chances, with Yoan Wissa and Bruno Guimarães hitting the target within seconds of each other in the second half.
City have won the League Cup eight times, with Guardiola winning four times since taking over. City last won in 2021.
City’s four-sided trophy hunt this term continues from last season, which ended Empty-handed for the first time in 8 years.
They trail Premier League leaders Arsenal by six points, but second-placed City are also in a good position in the Champions League and have progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
In the other League Cup semi-final, Chelsea host Arsenal in Wednesday’s first leg.
___
James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
