Eddie Howe believes the team has shown excellent fighting spirit, despite failing to gain an advantage in advancing to the League Cup final.

Newcastle United, nicknamed the "Magpies," lost 0-2 to Manchester City, nicknamed the "Citizens," in the first leg of the 2025/26 EFL Cup semi-final, failing to gain an advantage in the race for the final after conceding two goals in the second half. Eddie Howe stated that the team displayed strong fighting spirit despite the challenges of a busy schedule.

In the 53rd minute of the second half, Doku made a cross from the left wing, Bernardo Silva passed the ball while falling to the ground, and Semenio fired a low shot into the net, helping Manchester City break the deadlock to 1-0.

In stoppage time of the second half, Ait Nouri dribbled the ball into the penalty area and passed it back to Rajan Sherkhi, who fired a low shot into the net, extending Manchester City's lead to 2-0.

Ultimately, Newcastle lost 0-2 to Manchester City away from home.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said, "Conceding a goal in the final moments is a heavy blow, but it's not over yet, and we're still fighting."

"I think we were a bit naive with one minute left in the game, still trying to score a goal. At that moment, we needed to strengthen our defense, but we had problems with our formation and paid the price."

In addition, Newcastle had previously eliminated Bournemouth in the third round of the FA Cup, which went to penalties, so the players faced a considerable challenge in terms of physical fitness.

Eddie Howe said, "Considering that the team fought to overtime in the last game, they gave it their all under very difficult circumstances. There were definitely some signs of fatigue in the game, but I can't blame the players at all."

Speaking about the missed chances against Manchester City, Eddie Howe said, "In hindsight, it might be considered a potentially major turning point. We wanted to get the fans fully engaged at home, while Manchester City tried to control the atmosphere by controlling possession and calming the crowd. It was always a battle between the two teams."

"Visa is a top player, and he is still finding his best form after a long injury. Maybe in a few weeks, he will score from that opportunity."

Eddie Howe also said, "All I care about is the players' commitment on the pitch. Considering how much we expended against Bournemouth, and against an opponent who is most likely to show fatigue, the players still managed to perform like this, which I think shows a lot of fighting spirit."