Manchester City secure FA Cup Glory after beating Chelsea 1-0 to fuel double ambitions

Manchester City clinched their eighth FA Cup title on Saturday, May 16, 2026, defeating Chelsea 1-0 in a tense final at Wembley Stadium. The victory secures the second piece of silverware for City this season, following their League Cup triumph over Arsenal in March, keeping their hopes alive for a domestic cup double.

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The breakthrough came in the 72nd minute courtesy of a brilliant piece of improvisation from Antoine Semenyo. The 26-year-old Ghanaian winger, who arrived as a January signing from Bournemouth, met a low cross from Erling Haaland and executed a sublime back-flick to guide the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez into the far corner.

Semenyo’s match-winner places him alongside historic FA Cup final goalscorers, a particularly poignant moment for the London-born winger who grew up just a short distance from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.

The triumph marks the third FA Cup success of manager Pep Guardiola’s decade-long tenure, bringing his total trophy count with the club to 20. The victory also breaks a streak of two consecutive FA Cup final defeats for City against Crystal Palace and Manchester United in recent years.

City dominated possession throughout a largely cagey affair, though Chelsea threatened occasionally on the counter-attack and had a first-half penalty claim dismissed after Joao Pedro went down following a challenge by Abdukodir Khusanov.

While City celebrates their Wembley success, attention swiftly returns to a tight Premier League race. City currently sits five points behind league leaders Arsenal, who face Burnley on Monday.

Guardiola’s side can narrow that deficit to two points with a victory against Bournemouth on Tuesday, though Arsenal remain in the driver’s seat to claim their first league title since 2004. Meanwhile, the defeat compounds a frustrating season for Chelsea, who currently sit ninth in the Premier League table under interim manager Calum McFarlane.