Manchester City players pose with the winner’s trophy after the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City in London, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo)
Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, with Antoine Semenyu scoring the only goal of the game. The final match saw only a few chances before Semenyu opened the scoring in the 72nd minute.
Receiving a cross from Erling Haaland, the striker used a back-heel flick to send the ball into the far corner past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The victory kept Manchester City in the competition for the local treble, having already won the English League Cup this season. Pep Guardiola’s side also sit second in the Premier League table, two points behind Arsenal with two rounds remaining. This was Guardiola’s 17th title during 10 years at Manchester City and the 35th of his managerial career. Manchester City have won the FA Cup for the eighth time and are level with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on the list of all-time winners.
Chelsea’s defeat means the club will end the season without a trophy, one year after winning the Club World Cup. The campaign was characterized by instability, as the club changed coaches since the beginning of the year. Chelsea were led by Callum MacFarlane, a former youth coach who was in charge in just his seventh game in charge of the first team.
Before kick-off, Chelsea supporters protested against the club’s American owners outside Wembley Stadium. Despite the circumstances, Chelsea succeeded in frustrating Manchester City for most of the match before Semenyu won. The Ghanaian striker joined Manchester City from Bournemouth last January and has now scored 10 goals for the club while helping them win two titles. After the match, Manchester City fans sang “Blue Moon” while Bernardo Silva and John Stones lifted the trophy.
Both players are scheduled to leave the club at the end of the season. “Since I arrived, I have won 20 trophies, which is not bad. I care a lot about Manchester City,” said Bernardo, also counting Community Shield victories. Manchester City had lost the previous two FA Cup finals before this victory. This was also the fourth consecutive year they had reached the final, having last won the tournament in 2023. Arsenal remains the most successful club in FA Cup history with 14 trophies, while Manchester United is second with 13 trophies.
