-
It’s Chelsea 0 vs Man City 1
Manchester City have once again asserted their dominance over the English game, securing the domestic cup double with a hard-fought victory at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola’s men edged past Chelsea 1-0 to ensure another trophy heads to the Etihad cabinet this season, making it their eighth FA Cup title in all.
The Cityzens are now level with Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs on eight FA Cup crowns. Only Arsenal (14) and Manchester United (13) have won more.
Inside the magnificent Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it was Antoine Semenyo’s superb goal that decided a hard-fought final of few clear chances.
However, Chelsea played a full part and will feel they should have had at least one penalty for a foul by Abdukodir Khusanov. But it was Semenyo’s ingenious flick that won it.
With the clock hitting the 72nd minute on the dot, Wembley held its breath. Desperate to salvage a miserable season, Chelsea were on the ascendancy and had Manchester City on the ropes. The atmosphere looks electric and the question many may have been asking at the point was if rookie caretaker coach Calum McFarlane can pull off the ultimate giant-killing against City’s Manager Pep Guardiola?
Suddenly, Semenyo popped up in the fray. Bernardo Silva sparked the move, feeding Erling Haaland up the right flank. Semenyo peeled off into space, closely tracked by Levi Colwill, demanding the low pass and though the ball arrived slightly behind him, it didn’t matter.
Superbly, instinct took over and in one fluid motion, Semenyo executed a stunning, improvisational flick with his trailing leg, redirecting the ball perfectly into the far corner. Flawless technique met pure vision. And that proved the Blues’ burial and the final nail hammered into their frustrated season.
With this victory, the Cityzens have won both domestic cups for the second time under Pep Guardiola. In 2018-19, they managed a domestic treble; that looks unlikely this year, but it’s not beyond the realms.
Once again, Guardiola has entered the English football record, writing his name as stand alone in the history books. He further cemented his status as perhaps the greatest manager to ever grace the English game after City’s latest triumph.
By adding the FA Cup to the Carabao Cup already secured this term, the Catalan tactician has become the first manager in English football history to do the domestic cup double twice.
The achievement places him in a bracket of his own, having previously achieved the feat during the historic 2018-19 campaign.
While other legendary figures like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger enjoyed decades of success, neither managed to sweep both domestic knockout competitions in two separate seasons, highlighting the unprecedented level of consistency Guardiola has maintained since arriving in at the blue side of Manchester.
