Manchester City’s Ghanaian midfielder Antoine Semenyo produced one of the great FA Cup final goals with an audacious back-flick that sealed Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley.
Semenyo illuminated a largely scrappy final late in the second half as he improvised a sublime finish to caress Erling Haaland’s cross into the net. The Ghana winger’s moment of magic was enough to clinch City’s eighth FA Cup triumph and their second piece of silverware this season after the League Cup final win over Arsenal in March.
FA Cup Final Goalscorers
Semenyo joins Ricky Villa, Michael Owen, Roberto Di Matteo, and Steven Gerrard among the ranks of iconic FA Cup final goalscorers. Ironically, the 26-year-old — an inspired signing from Bournemouth in the January window — was born just a stone’s throw from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home in west London.
According to the FA Cup Wikipedia page, the competition has a long history of producing exciting finals, and this year’s match was no exception. The third FA Cup success of Guardiola’s reign ended City’s run of two successive defeats in the final against Crystal Palace and Manchester United.
Guardiola’s Future Uncertain
Guardiola, who also lifted the trophy in 2023 and 2019, has now won 20 trophies in his glittering decade as City manager. His attention will turn back to City’s slender hopes of making it 21 pieces of silverware with a miracle in the Premier League title race. For more information on the Premier League, visit the official Premier League website.
Here are some key stats from the match:
- Manchester City dominated possession for long periods of the first half but couldn’t make the breakthrough.
- Chelsea produced a battling but ultimately impotent display that underlined why frustrated fans protested against owners BlueCo before kick-off and chanted “we want our Chelsea back”.
- City, on a 21-game unbeaten domestic run, will be five points behind leaders Arsenal if the Gunners beat relegated Burnley at home on Monday.
Guardiola’s men can close the gap back to two points with a victory at Bournemouth in their penultimate match of the season on Tuesday. But Arsenal would still guarantee their first English title since 2004 by winning at Palace on May 24.
