Man City beat Chelsea in FA Cup final to keep treble dream alive

Premier League chasing Manchester City bushed Chelsea 1-0 successful tense FA Cup last astatine Wembley to travel up League Cup win.

Antoine Semenyo produced 1 of the large FA Cup last goals with an audacious back-flick that sealed Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Chelsea astatine Wembley.

Semenyo illuminated a mostly scrappy last precocious successful the 2nd fractional arsenic helium improvised a sublime decorativeness to caress Erling Haaland’s transverse into the nett connected Saturday.

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The Ghanaian winger’s infinitesimal of magic was capable to clinch City’s eighth FA Cup triumph, and their 2nd portion of silverware this play aft the League Cup last triumph implicit Arsenal successful March.

Semenyo joins Ricky Villa, Michael Owen, Roberto Di Matteo and Steven Gerrard among the ranks of iconic FA Cup last goalscorers.

Ironically, the 26-year-old – an inspired signing from Bournemouth successful the January model – was calved conscionable a stone’s propulsion from Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge location successful westbound London.

The 3rd FA Cup occurrence of Guardiola’s reign ended City’s tally of 2 successive defeats successful the last against Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

Guardiola, who besides lifted the trophy successful 2023 and 2019, has present won 20 trophies successful his glittering decennary arsenic City manager.

His attraction volition crook backmost to City’s slender hopes of making it 21 pieces of silverware with a occurrence successful the Premier League rubric race.

City, connected a 21-game unbeaten home run, volition beryllium 5 points down leaders Arsenal, if the Gunners bushed relegated Burnley astatine location connected Monday.

Guardiola’s men tin adjacent the spread backmost to 2 points with a triumph astatine Bournemouth successful their penultimate lucifer of the play connected Tuesday.

But Arsenal would inactive warrant their archetypal English rubric since 2004 by winning astatine Palace connected May 24.

Ahead of his 24th travel to Wembley with City, Guardiola joked that helium was “so disappointed” helium has not had a basal named aft him astatine the location of English football.

Whether helium volition beryllium backmost with City remains a substance of conjecture.

Guardiola’s aboriginal has been uncertain each play and, with conscionable 1 twelvemonth near connected his contract, the 55-year-old is yet to springiness an denotation if helium plans to enactment oregon spell astatine the extremity of this term.

If it is astir to beryllium the extremity of an era, Semenyo ensured Guardiola volition permission with astatine slightest 1 much aureate memory.

For Chelsea, the nonaccomplishment was the latest stroke successful different turbulent campaign.

Without a triumph successful their past 7 league games, they are languishing successful ninth spot with virtually nary accidental of qualifying for adjacent season’s Champions League.

Under interim brag Calum McFarlane, they produced a battling but yet impotent show that underlined wherefore frustrated fans protested against owners BlueCo earlier kick-off and chanted “we privation our Chelsea back”.

With Chelsea contented to beryllium heavy successful their five-man defence, City dominated possession for agelong periods of the archetypal half, but couldn’t marque the breakthrough.

It was a cagey and often level occasion, successful keeping with 2 teams who person underachieved this season.

Haaland fired wide from an acute space aft stealing possession connected the borderline of the Chelsea area.

The Norwegian besides threatened to prise unfastened Chelsea’s well-drilled rearguard precocious successful the archetypal half, surging onto Marc Guehi’s walk for a stinging onslaught that Robert Sanchez saved astatine his adjacent post.

Relying connected lone occasional counter-attacks, Chelsea felt aggrieved conscionable earlier the interval erstwhile their punishment assertion was rejected, aft Joao Pedro was bundled implicit by Abdukodir Khusanov.

Semenyo should person breached the deadlock instantly aft the break, heading implicit from six yards aft climbing to conscionable Nico O’Reilly’s cross.

Moises Caicedo’s header was nodded disconnected the enactment by Rodri aft City keeper James Trafford fumbled a corner.

But City yet delivered the knockout stroke successful the 72nd minute.

Haaland made a clever tally down the right-hand broadside of the Chelsea country and chopped the shot backmost to Semenyo, who deftly back-heeled his ultimate decorativeness into the acold country from adjacent range.