Manchester City completed a domestic double with a narrow 1-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday. Antoine Semenyo’s sublime backheel finish in the second half proved the difference between the two sides. It’s a record eighth FA Cup win for Pep Guardiola’s glittering trophy cabinet, having beaten Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final back in March.
It was a nervy first half for the Cityzens, who got on the front foot but without really testing Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal. Calum McFarlane’s interim outfit struggled for rhythm before growing into the contest as the half wore on.
The introduction of Rayan Cherki at the break gave the Manchester side fresh impetus, and it was his clever interplay with Erling Haaland that finally unlocked the Blues’ resolute defensive set-up. Haaland gathered the ball on the right and cut it back across the face of the goal for Semenyo, who guided a first-time backheel into the bottom corner to send the City fans into raptures.
Just moments after the breakthrough, Enzo Fernandez nearly made it 1-1 with a close-range off-balance volley, while late chances for Cherki and Liam Delap went begging. Neither side posted an expected goals total of 1.0, ending at 0.93 to 0.82 in City’s favour, but the Sky Blues overperformed their output to lift their fourth piece of silverware after four successive FA Cup final appearances, becoming the first ever team to reach four finals in a row.
From Bournemouth Star to Wembley Hero, Semenyo Justifies His Hefty Price Tag
Antoine Semenyo’s Wembley winner was the perfect way to cap a remarkable few months for the Ghanaian international, who joined Manchester City from Bournemouth for an initial £62.5m in January. The 26-year-old already has a role in both domestic cup finals for his new employers, having featured in the EFL Cup triumph over Arsenal back in March.
Before his big-money switch to the Etihad, Semenyo was one of the most sought-after attacking talents in the Premier League, scoring 10 Premier League goals before his move, with only Erling Haaland and Brentford’s Igor Thiago netting more in the first half of the campaign. He signed off in Cherries colours with a last-minute winner in a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur to end an eleven-match winless run for Bournemouth.
The Ghana international has wasted no time in making an impact since putting on the sky blue jersey, netting and providing an assist on his debut, before netting the opener in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle United. Semenyo’s best years could see him win plenty more silverware at the Etihad yet.