Manchester City beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final to win the trophy for the eighth time, sealing another major prize for Pep Guardiola and sending the club into the summer with one more piece of silverware. The winning goal came from Semenyo, whose brilliant improvised finish settled a final that had been tight from start to finish.
Guardiola has now lifted 20 trophies with Manchester City across 10 years in charge, a run that has turned this final into another line on a long record of success. The club are still in the race for the Premier League title, so the win keeps the season alive on two fronts and gives City a lift that goes beyond the cup itself.
Calum McFarlane said afterward that it was “a weird one” but that he was proud of Chelsea’s performance. Speaking to One, he said it was a really even game, with both sides going toe-to-toe and creating similar chances, and that the result came down to “one moment of quality.” He added that Chelsea did not get the luck they needed and believed there should have been a penalty against Jorrel Hato.
The Chelsea manager’s reading of the final matched the feel of the contest: City took the decisive chance, while Chelsea could only point to the margins. McFarlane’s complaint over the penalty call was the sharpest break with the broader respect he showed for Guardiola’s team, and it was the one moment that stopped the match from being remembered as a straight duel between two evenly matched sides.
Reece James was just as frank after the game, telling TNT Sports that the loss was disappointing and that City had taken the only clear opening they got. He said Chelsea had lost a fair few games recently and that the challenge for the club now is stability. “Every time we step out onto the pitch the target is to win,” he said, but that target has been harder to reach during a difficult run.
For Manchester City, the cup final added another trophy to a decade that has been defined by constant winning. For Chelsea, it was a reminder that they can stay level with the best on the day and still walk away empty-handed. The difference, in the end, was the finish that turned a balanced final into another City celebration.
