Manchester City players and staff celebrated with the FA Cup trophy after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. If this was indeed Pep Guardiola's 24th and final Wembley appearance as Manchester City manager, he departed in characteristic fashion—as a winner, presiding over a moment of magic.
The match had been tense and scrappy, with few clear chances, until the 72nd minute. Chelsea, under caretaker coach Calum McFarlane, were growing in confidence and pressing for a breakthrough. Then came Antoine Semenyo. Receiving a low pass from Erling Haaland, Semenyo was tightly marked by Levi Colwill. With the ball slightly behind him, he executed a scintillating flick with his trailing leg, diverting it perfectly into the far corner. The goal was a blend of vision and technique that left Chelsea with no way back.
The buildup had been dominated by speculation about Guardiola's future, with many believing he might leave City at the end of the season. With the Premier League title slipping away and Arsenal close to clinching it, Guardiola was determined to add another FA Cup to the Carabao Cup secured in March. This victory marked his 17th major trophy in 10 years with City, not including three Community Shields.
City had lost the previous two FA Cup finals, but it was Chelsea who felt the heartbreak this time, suffering their seventh consecutive domestic cup final defeat. The reset under their next manager, who the club hopes will be Xabi Alonso, cannot come soon enough.
McFarlane, in his sixth senior game as a manager, opted for solidity with three centre-halves and Reece James and Moisés Caicedo providing ballast in central midfield. Guardiola started Omar Marmoush alongside Haaland in a 4-2-4 formation, with Semenyo and Jérémy Doku on the wings. Marmoush was ineffective and replaced at half-time by Rayan Cherki.
City dominated possession in the first half, but Chelsea were content to sit back. The atmosphere was subdued, with empty seats at Wembley. The first notable Chelsea attack came in the 20th minute when Matheus Nunes headed behind from a Malo Gusto cross, but the resulting corner was played short and worked back to goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
City had a few half-chances but lacked conviction. Marmoush volleyed weakly, Haaland slashed wildly, and Semenyo sent a shot out for a throw-in. Haaland had a goal disallowed as Nunes was offside before crossing. City's best moment came on 43 minutes when Marc Guéhi threaded a ball for Haaland, who drew a block from Sánchez.
Enzo Fernández's heavy challenge on Bernardo Silva in the 29th minute earned a yellow card, and Chelsea's penalty appeals before half-time were waved away after Abdukodir Khusanov collided with João Pedro, deemed shoulder to shoulder. Both teams made errors on the ball. James Trafford's poor touch early in the second half led to a corner, from which his weak punch required Rodri to clear Caicedo's looping header off the line.
Semenyo headed wide on 47 minutes, but Chelsea raised their intensity after the restart, dominating midfield. Rodri, clearly not fully fit after injury, was replaced by Mateo Kovacic. The game narrowed to a fine point, with the likelihood increasing that a single moment would decide it. That moment came from Semenyo.
Referee Darren England faced heavy pressure to award Chelsea a penalty in the 77th minute when Khusanov barged into Jorrel Hato, but he remained unmoved. Fernández volleyed high on 74 minutes, while City nearly added a second late on when Nunes hit the near post from a tight angle and Cherki forced a save from Sánchez. One goal was enough for City to lift the trophy.
