Manchester City secured their place in the Carabao Cup Final with a dominant 3-1 second-leg victory (5-1 on aggregate) over Newcastle United. Omar Marmoush scored twice to set up a "magical" final clash against Arsenal at Wembley. However, the win was somewhat overshadowed by controversy as Manchester Jewish community leaders criticized comments made by Pep Guardiola regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 

In Spain, Barcelona progressed to the Copa del Rey semi-finals following a 2-1 win over Albacete, with young star Lamine Yamal playing a pivotal role. In transfer news, Karim Benzema has officially joined Al-Hilal following his departure from Al-Ittihad, further shifting the power balance in the Saudi Pro League.