Manchester City have won the FA Cup for the eighth
time after defeating Chelsea 1-0 in a tense final at Wembley Stadium on
Saturday, May 16, 2026.
The victory gives Pep Guardiola’s side their second
trophy of the season, following their League Cup win over Arsenal in March. It
also keeps City’s hopes of completing a domestic cup double alive.
The decisive moment came in the 72nd minute through
Antoine Semenyo, who produced a clever finish to break Chelsea’s resistance.
The Ghanaian winger, who joined City from Bournemouth
during the January transfer window, connected with a low cross from Erling
Haaland and used a superb back-flick to send the ball beyond Chelsea goalkeeper
Robert Sanchez into the far corner.
Semenyo’s goal proved enough to settle the contest and
earn City another major honour at Wembley. The moment was especially
significant for the London-born forward, who grew up not far from Chelsea’s
Stamford Bridge.
City controlled possession for much of the match,
although Chelsea had moments on the counter-attack. The Blues also appealed for
a penalty in the first half after Joao Pedro went down under a challenge from
Abdukodir Khusanov, but the claim was waved away.
The win marks Guardiola’s third FA Cup success since
taking charge of Manchester City and brings his total trophy haul at the club
to 20.
It also ends City’s recent run of FA Cup final
disappointments, having lost the last two finals to Crystal Palace and
Manchester United.
Despite the celebration, City’s focus will quickly
return to the Premier League title race. Guardiola’s men are currently five
points behind leaders Arsenal, who face Burnley on Monday.
City can reduce the gap to two points if they beat
Bournemouth on Tuesday, although Arsenal remain in control of the title race as
they chase their first league crown since 2004.
For Chelsea, the defeat adds to a difficult campaign.
The London club are currently ninth in the Premier League under interim manager
Calum McFarlane.
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