![\"Chelsea\"](\"https:\/\/scorzo.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Chelsea-696x464.jpg\" "\\"Chelsea\\"\/")
<\/div>\nChelsea player ratings vs Manchester City: The final that slipped through their fingers<\/h2>\n
The Chelsea player ratings vs Manchester City tell a story that cuts deeper than a single Semenyo backheel on a sun-drenched Wembley afternoon. Chelsea lost 1\u20130 in the FA Cup final on 16 May 2026, beaten by a moment of outrageous individual quality from Antoine Semenyo in the 72nd minute, a wicked flick from Erling Haaland\u2019s low cross that left Robert S\u00e1nchez with absolutely no chance.<\/p>\n
For long stretches, Calum McFarlane\u2019s side frustrated a City team that had won their last 14 meetings without defeat. They matched City\u2019s intensity, occasionally edged possession after the break, and put in a massive shift at the back that deserved far better than a runners-up medal.<\/p>\n
However, they lacked the killer instinct upfront that a cup final demands, and sloppy mistakes from key creative players in pivotal moments proved costly. This was Chelsea\u2019s first FA Cup final since 2022, when they also left Wembley empty-handed, and the weight of that recurring disappointment sat heavily over every Blue in attendance.<\/p>\n
A back five that gave everything but ran into genius<\/h3>\n
Robert S\u00e1nchez \u2014 6\/10<\/p>\n
S\u00e1nchez dealt well with what City threw at him in open play and produced a sharp save from Haaland\u2019s angled effort before the break. He could not do a single thing about Semenyo\u2019s flick, which flew past him into the bottom corner with a trajectory that would beat any keeper in the world. He also denied Matheus Nunes and Rayan Cherki late on to keep the scoreline respectable. A solid display undermined only by the fact that Chelsea needed a clean sheet, and he couldn\u2019t deliver it.<\/p>\n
Malo Gusto \u2014 7\/10<\/p>\n
Gusto stood out as one of Chelsea\u2019s better performers on the day. He did a great job keeping Jeremy Doku quiet, containing the Belgian with discipline and timing, while also pushing forward with real intent down the right wing. He lacked an end product in the final third, though that had more to do with Chelsea\u2019s general struggles in attack than any personal failing.<\/p>\n
Wesley Fofana \u2014 7\/10<\/p>\n
Fofana brought composure and athleticism to Chelsea\u2019s backline throughout the ninety minutes, using his pace well to snuff out City\u2019s forward runs and reading danger before it developed. He made a crucial interception in the first half that kept the scoreline level, and he helped Chelsea build from the back with confident, line-breaking passes that gave the team a clean foundation to work with.<\/p>\n
Levi Colwill \u2014 6\/10<\/p>\n
Colwill had a taxing afternoon with Semenyo, who bullied him in the air early in the second period before eventually beating him for the winning goal. Even so, he grew into the match and contributed meaningfully at both ends by winning duels, heading away crosses, and occasionally driving forward. It was an afternoon of honest effort and steady improvement, even if the goal against him will sting for some time.<\/p>\n
Jorrel Hato \u2014 6\/10<\/p>\n
Hato had a scary moment when he lost the ball in a dangerous area in the first half, lucky that City didn\u2019t punish the error right away. Beyond that lapse, he kept things ticking over with neat, composed passing and worked hard to support both Cucurella and the wide players in front of him. The performance looked like that of a player still learning the ropes in a massive final, and he will learn a lot from this experience.<\/p>\n
Marc Cucurella \u2014 5\/10<\/p>\n
Cucurella remains an easy player to both defend and criticise, and today showed exactly why. His energy and aggression make up for his defensive flaws at times, and he gets into good positions going forward, yet far too often he got into a great crossing position only to hit a frustrating final ball. Semenyo caused him massive problems in the first half, and the debate about whether Hato should start at left-back is only going to get louder.<\/p>\n
The midfield and attack, where the cup final was truly lost<\/h3>\n
Reece James \u2014 7\/10<\/p>\n
James took an early blow to the thigh but recovered to deliver one of Chelsea\u2019s more composed performances. He drove forward with authority when he had the chance, stitched together neat passing sequences in midfield, and brought the kind of calm leadership that Chelsea\u2019s younger players clearly feed off. Playing him alongside Caicedo gave Chelsea a disciplined, balanced double pivot that let Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez play with more freedom ahead of them.<\/p>\n
Mois\u00e9s Caicedo \u2014 6\/10<\/p>\n
Caicedo went close with a headed chance in the second half, which Rodri cleared brilliantly off the line, easily the closest Chelsea came to an equaliser. He pressed relentlessly, covered loads of ground, and did the dirty work that a cup final demands. Unfortunately, he gave the ball away in a dangerous central area at a crucial point in the game, giving City momentum just as Chelsea were starting to threaten.<\/p>\n
Cole Palmer \u2014 5\/10<\/p>\n
Palmer\u2019s current form is Chelsea\u2019s biggest worry heading into the summer. He showed neat turns, occasional flashes of vision, and worked his socks off without the ball, but a player of his quality needs to step up in big games, and he didn\u2019t come close today. His confidence looks completely shot compared to last year, and his place in England\u2019s World Cup squad is now up for serious debate. The talent is there; the end product, right now, is not.<\/p>\n
Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez \u2014 5\/10<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez arrived at Wembley as Chelsea\u2019s semi-final hero against Leeds United, the man who got them here, and he left it as the player who summed up their attacking struggles. His rash challenge on Bernardo Silva earned him a yellow card in the first half, and his best moment came via a spectacular hooked volley that flew just over the bar right after Semenyo\u2019s goal. Other than that, he drifted in and out of the match, never really controlled the tempo, and failed to spark anything in the final third.<\/p>\n
Joao Pedro \u2014 6\/10<\/p>\n
Joao Pedro worked his socks off upfront, holding the ball up well and linking play with real grit against Guehi and Khusanov. He created space for runners and gave City\u2019s centre-backs a tough time throughout the first half. However, he starved of service in the second half when the team needed to chase the game, and he never really tested Trafford in the City goal.<\/p>\n
Bruno Fernandes \u2013 \u00a3100m Arsenal star rejected transfer move to Man Utd<\/p>\n
Pedro Neto (sub) \u2014 6\/10<\/p>\n
Neto came off the bench and instantly gave Chelsea some much-needed directness and pace, causing problems with his driving runs. He offered the kind of direct threat Chelsea desperately needed in the final half-hour, creating a couple of half-chances through sheer hard work. Coming back from injury, he did as much as you could ask from a sub in a game Chelsea were already losing.<\/p>\n
Alejandro Garnacho (sub) \u2014 5\/10<\/p>\n
Garnacho came on late and simply didn\u2019t have enough time to make an impact on a match that City were already seeing out with ease. He showed plenty of willingness with a couple of direct runs, but the game was already gone by the time he stepped onto the pitch.<\/p>\n
Manchester United have made a decision on Carrick\u2019s Old Trafford future<\/p>\n
The Chelsea player ratings vs Manchester City ultimately reflect a group that gave Wembley everything except the clinical edge needed to win on the big stage. McFarlane\u2019s men played with real heart, defended tightly as a unit, and created enough to get something out of the game, yet a chaotic 2025\u201326 season ends without silverware, without an answer to their goalscoring problems, and without Cole Palmer playing anywhere near his best. The rebuilding job this summer is going to be massive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chelsea player ratings vs Manchester City: The final that slipped through their fingers The Chelsea…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}