Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola plans to write letter to EFL before Carabao Cup final over rule change as Marc Guehi set to miss Arsenal tie

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on the English Football League to allow special dispensation for defender Marc Guehi to feature in next month's Carabao Cup final, revealing that the club will write a letter to the league pleading for a recent rule change to be altered.

City set up a meeting with Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday, March 22 after scoring three first-half goals to breeze to a 5-1 aggregate victory over Newcastle on Wednesday night.

Omar Marmoush netted twice in the opening 30 minutes of the second leg of their semi-final at the Etihad Stadium with Tijjani Reijnders extending the lead before the break.

Anthony Elanga pulled one back during the second period but Newcastle were no match for a City side that went through the motions with the tie already wrapped up.

Guardiola was delighted to reach another EFL final - his fifth in total - but he has called on the FA to consider a rule that was only brought into effect at the start of this season.

Rules were altered this term so that players could represent two different teams in a single campaign but with a time restriction imposed before the first leg of the semi-final.

Any signings made thereafter would be ineligible to feature in the second leg and any potential final.

The City boss told Sky Sports: "Hopefully in March, we can arrive with the players fit and hopefully you can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc Guehi can play in the final because it's difficult to understand that the club who make a big investment to pay one player who belongs to us and I don't understand why he cannot play the final.

"So hopefully we write a letter and hopefully the Carabao Cup can understand. He's not able to play for a rule that I don't understand why. Hopefully, they can change it."

In his post-match press conference, Guardiola added: "Why should he not play? Why not? He’s our player, we pay his salary, we hired him…

"We want to ask. I said to the club we have to ask definitely. I don’t understand the reason why he cannot play in the final of the Carabao Cup in March when he has been here a long time…

"Of course we are going to ask because it’s pure logic. (But) to change the rule, no way. But we will try."

Guehi, who joined City for £20 million last month, had already played in the Carabao Cup this season for Crystal Palace, scoring in their quarter-final exit on penalties to Arsenal in December.

Antoine Semenyo previously featured for Bournemouth in the second round as Brentford beat his former club at the Vitality Stadium - but the forward completed his £65m switch before the first leg against Newcastle on January 13 - allowing the Ghana international to not only play, but score during the first-leg 2-0 win at St James' Park.

According to EFL's Rule 6.4, a "Registered Player shall be permitted to play for up to two clubs (or clubs) in the competition in any one season where such player has appeared for his parent or loan club in the competition prior to the closure of the winter transfer window or the first leg of the semi-final (whichever is sooner) and has either been recalled by the parent club or subsequently moved to a different club on a temporary loan transfer (or temporary transfer where a Premier League club) or permanent transfer prior to the closure of the Winter Transfer Window, or the first leg of the semi-final (whichever is sooner)."

Leading 2-0 from the first leg, City could afford to rest Erling Haaland, with Marmoush taking his opportunity to inflict another defeat on Newcastle at the Etihad.

The Magpies last tasted victory in this part of Manchester back in October 2014, losing each of their past 12 away games at the ground in all competitions, their outright longest run away to a single opponent in their history.

It is not surprising that Guardiola - whose side won four straight EFL Cups between 2018 and 2021 - is determined to have Guehi to call upon, however, given the task his side now face in the final against formidable opponents still battling on all fronts, like themselves.

"It's a pleasure to play against Arsenal, the best team right now in Europe, maybe in the world," Guardiola continued.

"It will be good. You have to live this experience. The first title we won here was in the Carabao Cup. When you win something, it helps to win more.

"In March we go to Wembley again. We will travel to London again, they [Arsenal] will wait for us there. They never travel to the north [for finals] but I am really happy to be back. Five ties in 10 years is a big milestone."

The result means City's scheduled Premier League home game with Crystal Palace on March 21 will have to be rearranged, but Newcastle were left ruing missed opportunities throughout the tie - not aided by a desperately poor opening half an hour in the second leg which effectively put the contest to bed.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe told Sky Sports: "In both games, if you look back, we are very frustrated we only scored one goal in the two games. When you look at the chances we had in the home game, we do not feel we should have lost that game 2-0 on the balance of the opportunities we created.

"James Trafford has made some good saves and we've been guilty of missing some good opportunities and we were guilty of doing that again today.

"It could have been very different, but we have to accept the reality of what we've delivered. I do not think we did not do our jobs particularly well. When you play as we do, or tried to in the first half, it is a one versus one game really.

"When you are taking that game to the highest level, like you are here, a mistake will cost you and we were letting runners go from midfield and losing too many duels and [it was] disappointing we could not execute our style of play."

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