One Man Stole The Final

Manchester City player ratings vs Chelsea: Who delivered when it mattered at Wembley

The Manchester City player ratings vs Chelsea show a side that dug deep for glory rather than dazzling the crowd, but they got the job done all the same. Antoine Semenyo’s second-half flick, coming with just 18 minutes left on the clock, proved to be the only goal of the game as City secured a 1-0 victory to lift the FA Cup for the eighth time.

Pep Guardiola‘s side edged what was a fairly flat affair at Wembley, with Chelsea content to sit back and City lacking much creativity for long periods. Yet a moment of individual brilliance, the kind that defines finals, broke Chelsea’s resistance and secured a domestic double following March’s Carabao Cup triumph.

The context is worth noting before diving into the ratings. City arrived at Wembley as the first team to reach four successive FA Cup finals, a record no other club have ever achieved in English football history. Chelsea, meanwhile, were looking to salvage something from a chaotic and inconsistent season after a managerial merry-go-round that saw both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior lose their jobs. The stage belonged to City before a ball was even kicked, and though they didn’t always play with total authority, they took the trophy home regardless.

James Trafford to Erling Haaland, the starters assessed

James Trafford — 7/10: His passing out from the back was hit and miss throughout the afternoon, but one brilliant through-ball put Haaland in behind Chelsea’s defence just before the break. Trafford didn’t have to make any dramatic saves, but he commanded his area calmly like any top keeper should in a final and kept a clean sheet on the biggest stage of his career.

Matheus Nunes — 7.5/10: Nunes offered great attacking support to Semenyo as City tried to overload Chelsea’s left side, and he brought the necessary physicality when dealing with Marc Cucurella’s forward runs. His involvement caused Haaland’s disallowed first-half goal to be questioned when he was flagged offside in the build-up, robbing him of an assist his work rate deserved.

Abdukodir Khusanov — 7.3/10: Khusanov’s aggressive approach worked well for the most part, as he threw himself into challenges with the Chelsea forwards, even if a couple of collisions in his own box sparked brief VAR checks. He isn’t always the neatest player on the ball, but his physical presence gave Chelsea’s front line a really uncomfortable afternoon.

Marc Guéhi — 7.8/10: A quirk in the FA Cup rules allowed Guéhi, who had already been knocked out of the competition with Crystal Palace at Macclesfield earlier this season, to start at Wembley, and he barely put a foot wrong against his former club. He won most of his individual battles, stayed calm under pressure, and came back to haunt Chelsea in style.

Nico O’Reilly — 7.6/10: Another impressive showing at Wembley from the Carabao Cup final hero, who whipped in some dangerous crosses and did an excellent job of keeping Cole Palmer quiet. He tracked back hard whenever Chelsea threatened down his flank, and his deliveries from the left caused constant headaches for the Chelsea defence.

Rodri — 7/10: Lasted just over an hour on his return from injury and kept City ticking over in midfield. His biggest contribution came when he cleared Caicedo’s second-half header off the line. That crucial, low-profile intervention preserved City’s clean sheet just as Chelsea were starting to find some momentum.

Bernardo Silva — 7/10: One lapse of concentration gifted Chelsea a decent opening, but Silva was otherwise solid in what could well be his final cup appearance for the club. He controlled the tempo effortlessly, dictating exactly when City slowed things down or pushed forward.

Antoine Semenyo — 9/10: The undisputed man of the match. Semenyo was City’s biggest threat in the first half, repeatedly leaving Cucurella for dead before heading over at the back post from O’Reilly’s cross early in the second half. He made amends for that miss in the 72nd minute with a brilliant backheel flick from Haaland’s low cross, the winning moment that fans will talk about for years.

Omar Marmoush — 5/10: Guardiola got his selection wrong by starting Marmoush over Cherki, though he fixed the mistake at half-time. Marmoush rushed his only real half-chance during a quiet performance, managing just 10 touches before being hooked. Fresh off scoring in back-to-back league games, the Egyptian forward just couldn’t find his rhythm against a disciplined Chelsea defence.

Jérémy Doku — 7.7/10: Chelsea clearly tried to double up on Doku to limit his impact in the first half, but he found plenty of joy as the game opened up and his markers tired. His direct running and willingness to take defenders on at pace caused Chelsea constant problems and won the fouls that disrupted their defensive shape.

Erling Haaland — 7.8/10: Haaland had a goal ruled out after Nunes was caught offside, and later fired straight at Robert Sanchez after being played through by Guéhi just before half-time. He didn’t score, extending his unusual run of failing to find the net in cup finals for City, but he played a direct role in the winner by supplying the low cross for Semenyo. His hold-up play and link-up work with the wingers were solid all afternoon.

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The substitutes who came off the bench

Rayan Cherki — 7/10 (on 46′ for Marmoush): Cherki gave Chelsea a lot more to think about than Marmoush after coming on at the break, though he really should have put the game to bed when he shot straight at Sanchez late on. His introduction immediately injected life into City’s attack and brought the creativity they lacked in the first half.

Mateo Kovačić — 6.3/10 (on 65′ for Rodri): Kovačić brought some much-needed energy to the midfield engine room after replacing Rodri, keeping things neat and tidy against his old club. He didn’t dominate the game, but he helped maintain City’s shape when Chelsea pushed for a late equaliser, doing a steady enough job to see out the win.

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City did not play their best football at Wembley on 16 May 2026, but the Manchester City player ratings vs Chelsea confirm they produced exactly enough when the moment demanded it. Semenyo’s sublime flick won City the FA Cup for the eighth time in their history and secured a domestic double. Guardiola’s squad found a way, as his teams always do, and a winter signing from Bournemouth turned out to be the one man Chelsea could not contain when it mattered most.