Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has highlighted the sharp goalscoring instincts of new signing Antoine Semenyo, even as a controversial VAR decision denied the Ghanaian a perfect night in City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg win over Newcastle United.
Semenyo made it two goals in two games for his new club by breaking the deadlock at a raucous St James’ Park. The forward, who joined from Bournemouth just a week ago, showed the predatory instincts Guardiola values by stabbing home from close range. A second goal from a clever flick was cruelly denied after a contentious VAR review.
After the match, Guardiola praised the type of goal Semenyo scored. “I think at Bournemouth he improved a lot with these kinds of scrappy goals; from the opposite side arriving to the box,” Guardiola said, explicitly linking the strike to a key tactical philosophy of his team.
The night was almost perfect for Semenyo until VAR intervened on his second effort. A lengthy review determined that striker Erling Haaland, standing in an offside position, had impeded a Newcastle defender. The delay was compounded by a technical failure of the semi-automated offside system, forcing officials to draw the lines manually.
The decision and the long process clearly frustrated Guardiola, who used his press conference to voice broader grievances about consistency in officiating. However, the incident appeared to galvanise City, who sealed a crucial victory deep into stoppage time for a commanding two-goal lead to take into the second leg.
For now, Guardiola will be delighted with the immediate return from his new forward and the resilience shown by his team, which puts them in a strong position as they continue their hunt for silverware on multiple fronts.
