Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City completed a domestic double with a narrow victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday (May 16) at Wembley Stadium in London. Antoine Semenyo struck the only goal of the match from an Erling Haaland cross in the 72nd minute, baffling Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez with a back-heel.
Man City had a few more chances in the last 20 minutes. Sanchez stood tall to deny a promising shot from Ryan Cherki, while Matheus Nunes’ strike hit the post. With the Premier League race still alive, Manchester City will now look to wrap up the 2025-26 season with a domestic treble. With the FA Cup, they have also become the first team to secure two domestic cup doubles after Liverpool.
Bernardo Silva’s ‘Very Special’ Win as Man City Exit Inches Closer
City captain Bernardo Silva, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, described the victory as “very special … it’s really nice to finish this way and maybe we can still have a small dream that we can still fight for the Premier League.”
Pep Guardiola’s City trail leaders Arsenal by two points in the title race going into the last two games of the season.
“It’s just special to me in my last season to give them another trophy,” Portugal midfielder Silva said in a pitchside TV interview.
“At the beginning of the second half, it was really tough for us and they put us under a lot of pressure and made it very difficult.”
It was City’s eighth FA Cup triumph and followed victory in the League Cup in March.
Chelsea’s Struggle Continues in Domestic Cup Finals
It was a seventh domestic cup final defeat in a row for Chelsea, who had looked to the showpiece match for some relief after a turbulent season and two managerial changes.
Enzo Fernandez, Joao Pedro, and Liam Delap all had chances to score for Chelsea in what, for long periods, was an even, if unexciting, clash.
But the club’s hopes of European football next season now look very slim, while their American BlueCo owners search for a new manager to replace interim boss Calum McFarlane, who took over from the sacked Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior lasted less than four months following the new year departure of Enzo Maresca from Chelsea, having plunged the Premier League to ninth place.
(With Inputs from Reuters)
