Antoine Semenyo produced one of the great FA Cup final goals to hand Manchester City a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley on 16 May, a sublime back-heeled finish that illuminated an otherwise scrappy occasion and secured City’s eighth FA Cup triumph and second piece of silverware this season.
The Ghana winger, signed from Bournemouth in the January transfer window in what has proven an inspired piece of business, collected Erling Haaland’s cutback on the right-hand side of the Chelsea area in the 72nd minute and improvised an audacious back-flick into the far corner that left goalkeeper Robert Sanchez with absolutely no chance. It was a moment of instinctive genius that belongs alongside the iconic FA Cup final goals of Ricky Villa, Michael Owen, Roberto Di Matteo and Steven Gerrard.
In a neat twist of fate, Semenyo was born just a short distance from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground in west London, making the decisive blow all the more ironic for the losing side.
For Pep Guardiola, the victory represents his third FA Cup success at City, following triumphs in 2019 and 2023, and his 20th trophy in a remarkable decade as City manager. It also ended a run of two successive final defeats, against Crystal Palace and Manchester United respectively. The 55-year-old made his 24th trip to Wembley with City and joked beforehand that he was “so disappointed” that the national stadium had not yet named a stand after him.
Whether he will be back to make it 21 trophies remains genuinely uncertain. His contract has one year remaining and he has given no indication of his intentions for next season, with speculation about his future having swirled throughout the campaign.
The FA Cup success is City’s second trophy of the season after their League Cup final victory over Arsenal in March. Their attention now turns back to the Premier League, where they remain on an unbeaten domestic run of 21 games but still trail Arsenal by five points with two matches remaining. City face Bournemouth away in their penultimate league fixture on Tuesday before hosting Aston Villa on the final day on 24 May. Arsenal, however, can guarantee the title regardless of City’s results by beating Crystal Palace on 24 May.
For Chelsea, the defeat was another painful chapter in a deeply disappointing season. Without a league win in seven matches, they languish in ninth with virtually no chance of Champions League qualification. Frustrated supporters protested against owners BlueCo outside Wembley before kick-off and chanted for their club back during the match.
Interim manager Calum McFarlane set his side up in a five-man defence and asked them to sit deep and frustrate, a tactic that worked reasonably well for long periods. Haaland fired wide from an acute angle in the first half before a stinging effort was saved at the near post by Sanchez. Chelsea felt aggrieved just before half-time when a penalty claim was waved away after Joao Pedro appeared to be bundled over by Abdukodir Khusanov. After the break, Moises Caicedo’s header was cleared off the line by Rodri after goalkeeper James Trafford fumbled a corner, and Semenyo headed over from six yards when he should have scored.
