Manchester City edge Chelsea to lift FA Cup at Wembley

LONDON: Manchester City won the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, with Antoine Semenyo’s improvised finish deciding a final that was largely short on quality until late in the second half.

Semenyo settled the match in the 72nd minute, meeting Erling Haaland’s cut-back with an audacious back-heel that found the far corner from close range. The Ghana winger’s goal secured City’s eighth FA Cup title and gave them a second domestic trophy this season after their League Cup final win over Arsenal in March.

The 26-year-old, who joined from Bournemouth in the January transfer window, delivered the defining moment of the match in a game that had been tense and scrappy for long spells. Born close to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home in west London, Semenyo produced the kind of FA Cup final goal that the report placed alongside memorable strikes by Ricky Villa, Michael Owen, Roberto Di Matteo and Steven Gerrard.

The win also ended Manchester City’s run of two straight defeats in the FA Cup final, against Crystal Palace and Manchester United. It marked the third FA Cup triumph of Pep Guardiola’s time in charge, after previous successes in 2023 and 2019, and took his tally to 20 trophies in 10 years as City manager.

City stay alive on multiple fronts

City arrived at Wembley on a 21-game unbeaten run in domestic competition. Guardiola’s side would be five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal if the Gunners beat relegated Burnley at home on Monday. City can reduce that gap to two points with a win at Bournemouth in their penultimate league game on Tuesday, although Arsenal would still secure their first English title since 2004 by winning at Palace on May 24.

Ahead of what was described as his 24th trip to Wembley with City, Guardiola joked that he was "so disappointed" not to have a stand named after him at the stadium. Uncertainty over his future has continued throughout the season, with one year left on his contract and no indication yet whether he intends to remain or leave at the end of the campaign.

Chelsea’s frustrations continue

For Chelsea, the defeat was another setback in a turbulent season. The London club came into the final without a win in their previous seven league matches and sat ninth in the table with little realistic hope of reaching next season’s Champions League.

Under interim boss Calum McFarlane, Chelsea put in a determined display but struggled to offer enough in attack. Before kick-off, frustrated supporters protested against owners BlueCo and chanted: "We want our Chelsea back".

City controlled possession for much of the first half against a Chelsea side set up in a five-man defence, but clear chances were limited. Haaland fired wide from a tight angle after winning the ball near the edge of the area, then forced Robert Sanchez into a save at his near post after latching onto Marc Guehi’s pass.

Chelsea felt they should have had a penalty just before half-time when Joao Pedro went down under a challenge from Abdukodir Khusanov, but their appeal was turned away. Soon after the restart, Semenyo headed over from six yards from Nico O’Reilly’s cross. At the other end, Moises Caicedo’s header was cleared off the line by Rodri after City goalkeeper James Trafford fumbled a corner.

City eventually found the breakthrough when Haaland made space on the right side of the Chelsea penalty area and pulled the ball back for Semenyo, whose deft finish proved enough to decide the final.