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DOKU AT RISK? WHY ANTOINE SEMENYO IS PEP GUARDIOLA’S NEW FAVORITE LEFT WINGER
Antoine Semenyo is pushing for a start! After a 10-1 debut win, will Pep Guardiola pick him over Jeremy Doku against Newcastle?
Honestly, I can’t see Pep Guardiola leaving Antoine Semenyo out of Manchester City’s lineup for Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle. Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany pretty much said the same thing to Sports Mole—Pep’s going to find it way too tempting after what Semenyo did last weekend.
Semenyo just arrived from Bournemouth for £64 million, and the guy barely had time to unpack before he tore up Exeter City in the FA Cup. He scored, set up another, and grabbed man of the match on his debut. Not a bad way to introduce yourself at the Etihad.
Now, after that 10-1 thrashing, Semenyo’s in the mix to keep his spot when City heads to St. James’ Park to take on the cup holders. McInerney thinks Semenyo will start on the left. And honestly, he figures Jeremy Doku should be a little worried about his place.
“I think Semenyo starts,” McInerney said. “People expect him on the right and Doku to come in, but I actually think Doku’s more at risk than anyone realises. To me, there’s a real possibility that in a couple of months, the starting wingers will be Semenyo and Cherki.”
He broke it down further: Doku’s a top creator; nobody doubts that. He’s electric with the ball, especially in the Premier League. But McInerney rates Cherki even higher as a pure creator—he’s got a different style, but he thinks Cherki has more genius and puts up more chances. Plus, Cherki scores more than Doku, even though he doesn’t always play out wide.
And then there’s Semenyo. As a goalscorer, he’s ahead of both. If you want one creator and one finisher, McInerney would go for Cherki and Semenyo. He says there’s a precision and simplicity to Semenyo’s game that could really appeal to Guardiola, especially on the left.
But he’s not ruling out Doku and Semenyo both starting on the wings, with Foden slotting in behind Haaland and Cherki dropping to the bench. It’s not obvious who Pep will pick. McInerney keeps coming back to the idea that Doku isn’t as safe as people think.
“He needs to be more direct,” McInerney said about Doku. “He’s brilliant, but sometimes he does a lot to achieve a little. It’s not a knock—his style is busy and effective. But he’s not a high-volume goals or assists guy. He creates a lot of half-chances and carries the ball brilliantly. But Semenyo does that too, and he scores far more. Honestly, I don’t think Doku’s spot is safe. I’d say Semenyo starts.”
That said, McInerney wouldn’t be shocked if both Semenyo and Doku get the nod against Newcastle, with Foden in the middle and Cherki sitting out. “I can see Cherki missing out, especially since it’s Newcastle,” he said. “Cherki’s been brilliant, but lately he’s looked a bit sloppy, and I reckon Guardiola might want to rest him, play Foden at 10, and start Semenyo on the right and Doku on the left.”
Looking ahead to the game itself, McInerney expects fireworks. “Neither side is going to keep it tight, let’s be honest. The city’s defence is shaky right now. Alleyne and Khusanov have done well, but this is Newcastle at St. James’ Park in a semi-final. There’s no way this ends 0-0. I’d take a goalless draw, but I just can’t see it. Honestly, it could turn into a classic—loads of goals, pure entertainment. I just hope City doesn’t lose. If they avoid defeat, that’s a decent result, especially with tired players and a patched-up backline.”
LEGEND STATUS: ERLING HAALAND EQUALS COLIN BELL’S GOAL RECORD IN FULHAM STROLL TODAY
Erling Haaland equals Colin Bell's scoring record as Man City beat Fulham 3-0. Read how Pep’s side closed the gap on Arsenal.
Erling Haaland climbed to joint-fourth on Manchester City’s all-time scoring chart, tying with Colin Bell, as Pep Guardiola’s team brushed aside Fulham 3-0 and closed the gap on Arsenal.
Haaland’s 153rd goal for City came in a match that felt easy for the home side. They barely broke a sweat at the Etihad on Wednesday, cutting Arsenal’s Premier League lead to just three points.
Antoine Semenyo struck first, keeping his hot streak alive, and Nico O’Reilly added another in a match that was basically one-way traffic, with rain pouring down all night.
City did all their damage before halftime. Job done, Haaland didn’t even bother coming out for the second half.
After struggling for a bit, Haaland seemed to snap back into form with a clutch penalty winner at Liverpool on Sunday. Maybe that’s the spark he needed.
Matching Bell’s tally is no small feat—especially considering Haaland’s done it in just 183 games, while Bell had 492.
Honestly, this game was a walk in the park for City. In the last meeting at Craven Cottage, City led 5-1 after 57 minutes but almost let Fulham back in, scraping by 5-4. This time, there wasn’t even a hint of drama.
Fulham made it easy, coughing up possession over and over and giving City every chance to attack.
You could tell a goal was coming. Phil Foden, starting after a spell on the bench, nearly scored twice early on. O’Reilly wasn’t far off either.
The breakthrough came 24 minutes in. Matheus Nunes whipped in a cross from the right, Haaland nodded it down, and Semenyo slid in to poke it past Bernd Leno.
That was Semenyo’s fifth goal in eight games for City, and his third against Fulham this season; he’d already scored twice against them for Bournemouth back in October.
Fulham did get a sniff at goal when Harry Wilson forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but City hit right back. Haaland got clipped by Joachim Andersen on a counter, but Semenyo kept going and slipped in O’Reilly, who coolly chipped Leno for 2-0.
City’s third came after Fulham gave the ball away yet again. Rayan Ait-Nouri found Foden, Foden passed to Haaland at the edge of the box, and Haaland buried it in the bottom corner for his first league goal from open play since December.
There was a quick VAR check for a possible penalty, with Semenyo claiming his hair got pulled, but nothing came of it.
City eased off after the break. Fulham tried to respond, and Wilson had a lively run, but it fizzled out.
Even with City playing in second gear, Fulham couldn’t get anything going.
Foden tried his luck from a distance but didn’t really trouble Leno, and Josh King forced a late save from Donnarumma, but that was about it.
ERLING HAALAND’S MENTALITY IS THE ONLY REASON MAN CITY CAN CATCH ARSENAL
Erling Haaland’s late penalty at Anfield has cut Arsenal’s lead to three points, reigniting Manchester City’s title charge.
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Erling Haaland isn’t giving up on the title just yet. After slotting home a penalty deep into stoppage time at Anfield, he made it clear: “The title race isn’t over until it’s actually over.” That late goal kept Manchester City’s hopes alive.
Honestly, things looked grim with six minutes left. Szoboszlai had just smashed in a free kick, and even with Bernardo Silva’s equaliser, City were still staring at an eight-point gap behind Arsenal. But that penalty—Haaland’s first league goal at Anfield—changed the mood. Now, if City beat Fulham at home on Wednesday, the gap shrinks to three points before Arsenal even kick a ball at Brentford the next day.
Haaland tried to play it cool when people pressed him about the win. “It’s just three points, that’s it. Doesn’t matter if it’s Tottenham, whoever,” he said. But then he admitted, “Yeah, I get it. It was a big one.”
He’s not getting carried away, though. “We’ve seen it before—this race goes down to the wire. Right now, Fulham’s all I’m thinking about. There’s still a lot of football left.”
Haaland’s still the league’s top scorer with 21, but his penalty at Anfield was only his second league goal since Christmas. In his first 20 games this season, he couldn’t stop scoring—30 goals for club and country. Lately, though, the goals have dried up, and he knows it.
“Honestly, I haven’t scored enough since the start of the year. I have to be sharper and better at everything. That’s on me—I owe it to the team and to everyone watching.”
He didn’t want to make excuses or talk too much about what’s behind his dip in form. “I don’t think there’s an excuse. Fatigue? Most of it’s in your head. The schedule’s brutal, sure, but for me, it’s all about staying fit and being ready to help the team. That’s what matters most.”
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