Manchester City Win FA Cup Final as Semenyo’s Magic Flicks Past Chelsea

Pep Guardiola may have made his 24th and final Wembley appearance as Manchester City manager, and he departed in trademark fashion: a winner, an overseer of magic moments. There was only one such moment, but it will endure, with Antoine Semenyo illuminating an FA Cup final that had been more about perspiration than inspiration.

At 72 minutes, Chelsea, desperate to put recent struggles behind them, were in the ascendancy. Could Calum McFarlane, their inexperienced caretaker coach, produce the slingshot to topple Guardiola? Would the discontented Chelsea fans get something to salvage their season?

Enter Semenyo. Bernardo Silva worked the ball up the right to Erling Haaland, and Semenyo dropped off in the middle for the low pass from his teammate, closely marked by Levi Colwill. The ball arrived slightly behind him, but Semenyo let instinct take over, producing a scintillating flick with his trailing leg that diverted the ball perfectly into the far corner. Vision matched technique, and Chelsea had no way back.

The buildup was dominated by talk of Guardiola’s future, with a strong sense he will leave City at season’s end. With the Premier League title out of reach, Arsenal closing in, he was even more determined to add another FA Cup to the Carabao Cup won in March. Thanks to Semenyo, he did, securing his 17th major trophy in 10 years with City, not counting three Community Shields.

City had lost the previous two FA Cup finals, but this time Chelsea faced heartbreak, their seventh consecutive domestic cup final defeat. The reset under their next manager, whom the club hopes will be Xabi Alonso, cannot come soon enough.

It was a formidable challenge for McFarlane in his sixth senior game as manager. The former City youth coach opted for solidity: three centre-backs, with Reece James and Moisés Caicedo adding ballast in central midfield.

Guardiola’s initial move was to select Omar Marmoush over Rayan Cherki, starting him high alongside Haaland in a 4-2-4 formation with Semenyo and Jérémy Doku on the wings. The Marmoush choice did not pay off, and he was replaced at halftime by Cherki.

City dominated possession in the first half, with Chelsea content to sit back, but it was a slow-burning period. The atmosphere was subdued, and Wembley had empty seats.

Not until the 20th minute did Chelsea penetrate City’s half. Matheus Nunes headed behind from a Malo Gusto cross, and what followed was indicative: Chelsea played the corner short and worked the ball all the way back to goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.

City had a few flickers in the first half but their finishing was unconvincing: a weak volley from Marmoush, a wild slash from Haaland, and an even wilder shot from Semenyo that went out for a throw-in. Haaland put the ball in the net but Nunes was offside before crossing. City’s best moment came in the 43rd minute when Marc Guéhi threaded a ball into the inside-left channel for Haaland, who drew a save from Sánchez.

In the 29th minute, Enzo Fernández challenged Bernardo Silva with excessive force, earning a yellow card rather than red. Chelsea’s penalty appeals before halftime were dismissed. Abdukodir Khusanov collided with João Pedro, but it was shoulder to shoulder; the City defender appeared to play the man.

Both teams made errors on the ball. James Trafford was guilty of one early in the second half, taking a heavy touch on a back pass and letting the ball roll out for a corner. From the corner, his punch was weak, and Rodri had to be alert to clear Caicedo’s looping header from in front of the goal line.

Semenyo went close with a header in the 47th minute, a good chance wasted, but Chelsea summoned greater intensity after the restart. They flexed their muscle in midfield, where it was not Rodri’s day. He did not look fit on his return from injury and was replaced by Mateo Kovacic.

The game narrowed to a fine point, with the likelihood increasing that a single moment would decide it. Perhaps a borderline decision from referee Darren England, or a moment of brilliance. That seemed less likely, but then Semenyo intervened.

England faced heavy pressure to award Chelsea a penalty in the 77th minute when Khusanov barged into Jorrel Hato. The City defender played on the edge, but England remained unmoved.

Fernández volleyed high in the 74th minute, and City could have added a second goal in the closing stages. Nunes hit the near post from a tight angle, while Cherki forced a save from Sánchez. One goal was enough for City.