Antoine Semenyo comes back to haunt Chelsea and win Man City the FA Cup – 5 talking points
CHELSEA 0-1 MAN CITY: Antoine Semenyo was the Manchester City hero at Wembley as he netted a superb flicked goal to ensure Pep Guardiola’s side end the season with both domestic cups
Antoine Semenyo celebrates after scoring for Manchester City in the FA Cup final(Image: Ryan Pierse)
Antoine Semenyo produced a moment of magic to settle a less than stellar FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea with a classic goal under the Wembley arch.
If ever an FA Cup final needed a moment of genius, it was this one. The Blues and City had cancelled each other out in a draining first half which was slim on clearcut chances, excitement and genuine talking points.
It was Semenyo who spurned the golden opportunity to break the deadlock minutes after the restart when he failed to hit the target after rising highest to meet a cross, and it was then Chelsea who quietly seized control of the game and threatened.
But then Semenyo plundered the biggest goal of his fledgling Manchester City career, flicking a back-heeled finish from an Erling Haaland centre beyond the helpless Robert Sanchez. Here are Mirror Football‘s talking points from the game…
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1) A slow start
The FA Cup final remains a special day in the football calendar, even if it has lost some of the allure it once boasted in years gone. But in terms of the 2025-26 season’s offering, the opening 45 minutes felt like a non-event.
Chelsea and City traded tentative blows and you’d probably be hard pressed to pick out a half-time talking point bar Enzo Fernandez’s rash lunge on Bernardo Silva. It was pretty drab.
2) Semenyo back to haunt Blues
The Bournemouth fans used to sing he was magic, y’know. And it’s been some season for Semenyo, whose stellar form for the Cherries effectively made a big mid-season move inevitable.
He was effectively left with his pick of the Premier League’s elite in January, too, including City and Chelsea, though the latter later withdrew from the race. In the end, it was City Semenyo picked. And it was City who profited from the Ghana star’s moment of genius on the biggest stage here.
If ever a big game needed a big moment, it was this one, an FA Cup final with the fewest shots registered since Opta started recording stats.
Semenyo has delivered the goods since joining City in January with some big goals, stepping into a star-studded team with ease. That’s no mean feat. And he underlined his impact here with a goal and a moment that will live long in the memory.
3) Haaland turns provider
It was almost an afternoon to forget for Manchester City’s attack and Erling Haaland, who was subdued in the first half.
So often, it’s Haaland who comes up with the good for City. But the imperious Norwegian striker turned provider on this occasion, his driving run and centre in the penalty area setting the stage for his strike partner’s sublime flick.
It’s another Wembley outing (six) without a goal for City’s No 9. But he did play a pivotal moment in the game’s big moment.
4) Chelsea’s blue season
It’s been a rotten season for Chelsea, who could yet go on to record an unwanted bottom half finish in the Premier League. Victory in the cup final for Callum MacFarlane, in his second spell as interim boss this season, would have only papered over the cracks which have been growing more evident by the week since Enzo Maresca’s premiership ended abruptly mid-season. But in the end, it was not to be.
Speculation was rife before the final that not only is Xabi Alonso the chosen candidate to lead Chelsea next season, but that the Spaniard could even be confirmed in the role before the weekend is out. Given the wealth of talent Chelsea boast, he will quietly fancy his chances of overseeing a far more successful campaign than this one.
5) Pep’s perfect swansong?
He mischievously played down the talk that this will be his Manchester City swansong on the eve of Saturday’s final. But if this does prove to be Pep Guardiola’s final act at Wembley in English football, what a way to sign off.
Speculation that Guardiola will choose to walk away after a decade of domestic dominance at The Etihad grows louder by the day. And while it now looks unlikely Guardiola and City will bag another Premier League title this season, he could now walk off into the sunset with a third FA Cup.
Will that prove to be the case? He says no. We should find out one way or another in the coming weeks.
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