Pep's 20th title
Antoine Semenyo knelt in prayer, his eyes fixed on the Wembley pitch. The final whistle had just blown, confirming his victory in the 2025/26 FA Cup final.
His incredible backheel goal pierced the Chelsea defense and brought the trophy to Man City.
This title marks Man City's 20th trophy under Pep Guardiola after exactly a decade in charge – an extraordinary achievement.
In the VIP stands, Prince William presented medals to Guardiola and the entire team, including Semenyo, the scorer of the winning goal. “That was a fantastic goal!” the Prince said to him. Semenyo simply smiled.
Signed from Bournemouth in the winter transfer window for £64 million, Semenyo is one of Guardiola's biggest gambles. "If it works out, then the price is cheap!" the Spanish manager happily said after the match.
Not only did Guardiola give the green light to the deal, but he also persistently used Semenyo despite his inconsistent form, even when it disrupted the team's balance, as seen at the Bernabeu in the Champions League and in this very FA Cup final.
Guardiola fielded an attacking lineup against Chelsea. He started Rodri immediately after recovering from a groin injury sustained three weeks ago, pairing him with Bernardo Silva in midfield.
Above them are four attack-minded players: Semenyo, Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, and Erling Haaland. A system full of firepower, but one that also leaves Man City's defensive structure constantly vulnerable.
Chelsea implemented an extremely disciplined mid-range pressing strategy. The center-backs, full-backs, and midfielders of "The Blues" moved like a well-oiled machine.
Levi Colwill, Reece James, and Enzo Fernandez constantly stretched the team's formation with high precision, supported by Marc Cucurella, Malo Gusto, and Moises Caicedo. This system made it almost impossible for Man City to move the ball quickly enough to create space.
A magical moment
Man City controlled possession but created very few chances. Haaland was tightly marked between Chelsea's central defenders, while Marmoush and Semenyo – who are better at making runs than combining – disrupted the attacking tempo. Only Doku and occasionally Bernardo Silva were able to create breakthroughs.
The first half ended with just one significant shot, from Haaland after a long pass from Marc Guehi.
After the break, Guardiola replaced Marmoush with Rayan Cherki, but the game remained deadlocked. Chelsea were like a fortress. And then the absurd moment arrived.
Cherki and Bernardo Silva swapped positions on the right wing, while Haaland and Semenyo also moved diagonally across each other. The two simultaneous runs disoriented the Chelsea defense for a split second.
Cucurella left Haaland a meter of space on the right wing, and the Norwegian striker immediately passed the ball to Semenyo.
The 26-year-old striker skillfully turned and back-heeled the ball with his back to the goal, with Colwill close behind. The touch caught goalkeeper Robert Sanchez completely by surprise.
Chelsea conceded a goal despite making almost no mistakes. Even when Semenyo scored, there were eight Chelsea players in the penalty area defending the goal.
That goal was like a vindication for Semenyo. Born in London, he had been rejected by numerous football academies. Arsenal, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Millwall all turned him down.
There was a time when Semenyo took a year off from football. It wasn't until Bristol City gave him a chance when he was 17 that his career was revived.
The goal at Wembley not only confirmed Semenyo's talent, but also further demonstrated Guardiola's keen eye – the man who had just won his third FA Cup in his English coaching career.
" We're not going to celebrate," Guardiola said after his players doused him with champagne. " Not a single beer."
After the League Cup and FA Cup, Man City are now focusing all their efforts on the Premier League race. They will face Bournemouth in the penultimate round, and are only two points behind league leaders Arsenal. The title race is incredibly close.
10: Antoine Semenyo has scored 10 goals in all competitions for both Bournemouth and Man City this season.
Previously, the only person to have done this for two Premier League clubs in one season was Andrew Cole, in the 1994/95 season, for Newcastle (15) and MU (12).
100%: Man City became the first team in history to win every game in both the FA Cup (6/6) and the League Cup (6/6) in a single season.
3+: Pep Guardiola became the first coach in history to win 3 or more English league titles (total of 6), 3+ Champions League/European Cup (3), 3+ FA Cups (3) and 3+ League Cup (5).
4: Chelsea became the first team to lose four consecutive FA Cup finals since Leicester between 1949 and 1969.
Reece James became the second player to play in four FA Cup finals and lose all four, along with Paul Bracewell.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/man-city-ha-chelsea-gianh-fa-cup-huyen-thoai-pep-guardiola-2516556.html
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