Antoine Semenyo produced a moment of brilliance as Manchester City defeated Chelsea 1-0 to win the FA Cup Final at Wembley on Saturday.
Semenyo scored the decisive goal in the 72nd minute with an audacious back-heel finish from close range after connecting with a cross from Erling Haaland.
The Ghana winger’s stunning strike secured City’s eighth FA Cup title and their second trophy of the season following their League Cup triumph over Arsenal in March.
Semenyo, who joined City from Bournemouth during the January transfer window, delivered what many observers described as one of the greatest goals ever scored in an FA Cup final.
The victory also ended City’s run of back-to-back defeats in previous FA Cup finals against Crystal Palace and Manchester United.
Manager Pep Guardiola lifted the FA Cup for the third time during his time at City, having previously won the competition in 2019 and 2023.
The triumph marked Guardiola’s 20th trophy since taking charge of the club.
Despite dominating possession for much of the game, City struggled to break down Chelsea’s disciplined defensive setup during a tense and scrappy contest.
Haaland came close in the first half after capitalising on a loose pass, but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez denied him with a strong save at the near post.
Chelsea, under interim manager Calum McFarlane, relied largely on counter-attacks and felt they should have been awarded a penalty before half-time after Joao Pedro went down under a challenge from Abdukodir Khusanov.
Semenyo missed an early opportunity after the break when he headed over from close range, while Moises Caicedo nearly put Chelsea ahead before Rodri cleared his header off the line.
City eventually found the breakthrough when Haaland surged into the right side of the penalty area and cut the ball back for Semenyo, who improvised brilliantly to flick the ball into the far corner with a sublime back-heel finish.
The win keeps alive City’s slim hopes of retaining the Premier League title as Guardiola’s side continue their pursuit of more silverware before the season ends.
