Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City: Semenyo backheel earns eighth FA Cup triumph against spirited Blues | OneFootball

Antoine Semenyo’s audacious backheel took Manchester City to an eighth FA Cup triumph with a 1-0 win over Chelsea, ending their curse of consecutive final defeats to dent the Blues’ hopes of a return to European football next season.

Erling Haaland tapped home an accurate low cross from Matheus Nunes just short of the half-hour mark only for the offside flag to raise, the Blues, content to sit back and allow City to dominate the ball, taking just over 20 minutes to register a shot.

Semenyo provided the moment of magic to quash the Blues’ commendable response, backheeling home the goal that earned Pep Guardiola a remarkable 13th trophy at Wembley and a second victory in seven years.

As it happened

City enjoyed nearly 80% possession early on and saw their first chance after seven minutes when Omar Marmoush could only help on Antoine Semenyo’s deflected shot into the arms of Robert Sanchez, sporting headgear after his clash with Morgan Gibbs-White.

Tricky wingers Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku were the League Cup winner’s main outlets going forward inside the first quarter of an hour, and their strategy nearly paid off when the former rolled a low effort across goal and not far wide.

Malo Gusto delivered a really dangerous cross into the middle after Reece James played it quickly to the right-back, and Cucurella almost made something of it at the back post before the ball was smothered behind for Chelsea’s first corner.

An excellent scissor-kick pass from Enzo Fernandez set Joao Pedro away five minutes later, catching Guardiola’s trademark high line out, but the Brazilian slipped attempting the shot after making it all the way into the penalty area from halfway.

He was nearly made to regret it by Erling Haaland moments later when the Norwegian dispossessed Gusto and flashed a shot across goal and wide, before tapping home Nunes’ low ball from the right only for the flag to raise for an offside.

Rayan Cherki was introduced at half time by Guardiola to breathe life into a labored final and was on the ball two minutes after the break before spraying it to Nico O’Reilly on the left, whose clipped cross was headed onto the roof of the net by Semenyo.

Chelsea looked as though they might need a stroke of luck to get near the City goal, and it came when James Trafford carelessly let Marc Guéhi’s back pass sneak out for a corner before seeing Moises Caicedo’s header cleared off the line by the omnipresent Silva.

The Blues were up in arms near the hour mark in their appeal for a penalty when Fernández’s cross was blocked by O’Reilly, with replays showing his back turned and arm tucked into his body. VAR promptly checked and cleared the incident.

Callum McFarlane’s side were really growing into the game, pressing more actiely and playing with confidence, embodied by Cucurella intercepting a switch from Cherki and allowing Pedro to skillfully spin Nunes, opting to stay on his feet this time around.

But Semenyo quashed the resurgence with less than 20 minutes to go after Haaland held the ball up well for Silva running into the half-space on the right and shifting it back to the striker, capping off a great move with the cheekiest of backheels into the bottom left.

Fernández almost bagged a sensational equalizer right after Semenyo’s opener, hooking a flicked header inside the box onto the roof of the net as most Blues fans thought they had the goal their side grew to deserve as the game neared the final 10.

Jorrel Hato took matters into his own hands as time ticked away, exchanging a swift one-two with substitute Pedro Neto and running nearly the length of the pitch before going down, with the last defender breathing down his neck.

Not for the first time in the match, the referee waived away the claims.

City pushed for a second goal right up until five additional minutes were announced to the raucous Wembley crowd, while substitute LIam Delap had his head in his hands when he sent a header well over the top.

It proved to be the last real sight of goal for McFarlane on just his sixth outing in his second stint as interim manager of the Blues, who now could go without continental football next year if their form doesn’t improve with two games of the league season remaining.

Man City analysis: star signing Semenyo shines on the big stage

We all knew he was capable of something special, but talk about the place to do it. FA Cup final, at Wembley, with Chelsea well and truly back in the game. The first half had been calling out for a moment of magic.

And it arrived. Antoine Semenyo’s genius backheel sent the City side of the bastion of English football, or “cathedral” as manager Pep Guardiola refers to it, into a frenzy.

In a season where other big money signings have arrived and underperformed, Semenyo looks like an absolute steal for the Sky Blues given his worth in big games like this.

He had made that impression only a couple of matches into his time in Manchester, helping his new team on their way past Newcastle and eventually to their League Cup triumph.

Now his moment to shine sealed an eighth FA Cup victory, it leaves one trophy left on offer: the Premier League. And while City’s story in that competition has the extra hand of Arsenal writing the final few pages of an enthralling chapter this season, Semenyo is the master of his own moments on the pitch.

And today, the greatest cup competition in world football too.

Chelsea analysis: final defeat closes out chaotic chapter

Callum McFarlane’s side delivered a performance that was very much emblematic of their chaotic season as a whole: endure a torrid opening half, mount an impressive resurgence in the second, and lose the game.

They may have officially ‘won it all’ as the banner fans unveiled at the start of the game reminded the light Blue half of Wembley, but they’ve also lost a lot of money and today’s FA Cup final.

Worst comes to worst, they might have lost their only route to Europe if they fail to finish seventh or higher in the Premier League.

Though depending on how Aston Villa fare in the Europa League final on 27th of May, eighth may be enough.

But now it’s over, the Blues must look onwards and, they would hope, upwards.

Proven title winner at Bayer Leverkusen, who went invincible on their way to the title a few years back, Xabi Alonso is on the verge of becoming their new boss.

It is time to reset and reconsider their approach to the final two matches of the season and the summer ahead, which could be one of their most crucial yet.