Manchester City beat Chelsea with Antoine Semenyo goal

Rarely in its 155-year history has an FA Cup final been won by such a brave goal.

Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday thanks to Antoine Semenyo’s magic moment.

The striker brought the final to life with a stunning goal that created few chances or excitement in the second half.

In the 72nd minute, Semenyo ran to Erling Haaland’s cross, hit the ball with her heel and sent the ball over Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and into the far corner.

“It happened a few times in training, today it happened perfectly. … It came straight to my mind and I had to improvise myself as quickly as possible,” Semenyo told the BBC. “It’s a good result, I can’t lie.”

Chelsea interim coach Calum McFarlane agrees.

“For me, that’s a one in 100 goal,” he said. “In my opinion, no, there’s not much you can do to defend it.”

The victory kept City, who had already won the English League Cup, in the hunt for a domestic cup treble. Pep Guardiola’s team is also in second place in the Premier League, two points behind Arsenal with two rounds remaining.

After Tuesday’s crucial match against Bournemouth, Guardiola said he would not allow his players “even one beer” to celebrate.

This was Guardiola’s 17th major award at City in the last 10 years and the 35th major award of his career.

City have won the Cup eight times, placing them equal third in the all-time winners’ list alongside Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham.

The defeat means Chelsea will finish the season trophyless, a year after becoming Club World Cup champions in a crisis-filled season.

After sacking two coaches since the turn of the year, Chelsea reached the final with a recruit on the sideline in former youth coach McFarlane, who took charge of just his seventh first-team game.

The unrest at Chelsea led to fans protesting against their American owners outside the stadium before kick-off.

In that sense, it was commendable that McFarlane let Guardiola down for so long.

Until the moment Semenyo won the match.

The Ghana international only joined City from Bournemouth in January and made an immediate impact; He scored 10 goals and helped the team win two trophies.

“As a child, I always wanted to play in the best teams. It took a long time to get there, but I am grateful,” Semenyo said.

“The first thing he (Guardiola) said to me when I arrived was: ‘Don’t change your game’… he still wants me to be there, he still wants me to create some chaos.”

After the final whistle, the fans sang the club anthem. Blue Moon Bernardo Silva and John Stones cheered wildly as they lifted the famous trophy. Both players leave the team at the end of the season.

“To be able to lift another trophy at Wembley, where we have played many times, is a very special feeling, a feeling I will never take for granted,” Bernardo said. “Doing this as captain makes this one of the best days of my career.”

City’s victory follows back-to-back defeats in the finals in the previous two years. This is their fourth straight final, a record they last won in 2023.

Chelsea have lost their last four FA Cup finals, equaling Leicester’s record of consecutive defeats.

Guardiola was congratulated by Prince William when he went to collect his medal. The City manager then looked out at the celebrating fans at Wembley.

Speculation is mounting that this could be his final season at City; has yet to confirm its plans.

“The future is bright,” Guardiola said. “I know the guys, I know how they feel… we’ll be there next year, we’ll be better next season.”