Marmoush nets double as City overruns Newcastle
Omar Marmoush scored twice as Manchester City booked its place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after a 3-1 win over Newcastle United at St James' Park.
Having already eliminated the Magpies in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup it was defending last month, City piled more misery on Eddie Howe's side after coming from a goal behind here.
Newcastle made a lively start to the match, with a last-ditch block from Abdukodir Khusanov denying Harvey Barnes a shot at goal before Nick Woltemade saw his header cleared off the line by Nico Gonzalez soon after.
But the hosts eventually took the lead in the 18th minute through Barnes, who picked out the top-right corner after collecting Sandro Tonali's defence-splitting pass down the left.
However, City restored parity six minutes before the break when Jeremy Doku's cross found its way to the back post for Savinho to tap home, despite Aaron Ramsdale's best efforts.
It completed the turnaround two minutes after the restart when Marmoush rifled into the back of the net, with the ball breaking kindly for the Egyptian inside the box after Ramsdale had got a touch on Matheus Nunes's cutback.
The same pairing combined again to put the result beyond doubt for City, with Marmoush crashing a fierce right-footed shot past Ramsdale from just outside the penalty area as the seven-time winner comfortably held on to advance to the next round.
"A decent performance, we didn't start so well," Marmoush said after the game. "We conceded early, but we showed our mentality and our passion on the pitch ... we're very happy to go to the next round."
The win keeps Pep Guardiola's side on track for a fourth successive FA Cup final appearance, and keeps alive the chance of an elusive quadruple – Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup – which Arsenal is also chasing.
"This is the best performance we have played in this stadium since my decade here," Guardiola said. "That is consistency and that is why I am proud."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe felt his players were tired.
"[We] maybe ran out of gas, certainly in the second half but also towards the end of the first half," he said.
"They really stretched us. You have to say they were a very good side."
