Holland's strike and Semeno's 'fantastic backheel' seal it! Manchester City defeats Chelsea 1-0 to win the FA Cup... Pep's '20th title in history' stands tall

*This content was translated by AI.

Manchester City defeated Chelsea to lift the Football Association (FA) Cup trophy for the eighth time in club history.

On the 16th (local time), Manchester City secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the 2025-2026 FA Cup final held at Wembley Stadium in London, UK.

It was Antoine Semeno who broke the tight deadlock. In the 27th minute of the second half, he scored a priceless winning goal to bring the championship home. Erling Holland penetrated the left side of the penalty box and immediately played a ground pass, which Semeno curled into the net with a skillful backheel kick.

After conceding the goal, Chelsea had several chances but ultimately failed to score, and the match ended in a victory for Manchester City.

With this win, Manchester City reclaimed the FA Cup title for the first time since the 2022-2023 season, three years later. This marks a domestic cup double this season, following their Carabao Cup (League Cup) victory in March. Furthermore, manager Pep Guardiola has achieved a historic milestone by securing his 20th title since taking charge of Manchester City.

In contrast, Chelsea has been burdened with an ignominious record. They have now lost seven consecutive domestic cup finals, four of which were FA Cup finals.

Chelsea, urgently in need of a recent atmosphere overhaul, is accelerating the appointment of a new head coach. According to foreign media outlets including the UK's BBC, Chelsea is close to securing the services of former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso.

Manchester City will now set aside the joy of victory and immediately focus on their English Premier League (EPL) schedule. Currently sitting second in the league with 77 points (23 wins, 8 draws, 5 losses), Manchester City is trailing the top-placed Arsenal (79 points) by just two points. With only two matches remaining in the season, a dramatic turnaround is entirely possible.

Manchester City will travel to Bournemouth on the 20th, followed by hosting Aston Villa at home for the final league match on the 25th.

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*This content was translated by AI.