Chelsea vs. Man City score: FA Cup final result, updates, stats as Semenyo magic completes cup double for Guardiola

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WEMBLEY STADIUM, LONDON – Antoine Semenyo’s wonderful improvised finish against Chelsea in the 145th FA Cup final gave Manchester City a 1-0 win and sealed a domestic cup double.

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Semenyo’s 10th goal in 25 City appearances since his £62.5 million ($83.3m) move from Bournemouth in January gave Pep Guardiola the 20th trophy of his 10 years in Manchester. As speculation swirls around the Catalan’s future, it could be his last.

However, Semenyo’s invaluable contribution could yet lead to a domestic treble, even though City face a tough assignment at the Ghana international’s old stomping ground on Tuesday. Arsenal are very much in control of their own destiny with two games to play in the Premier League title race.

MORE: Who has won the most FA Cup titles?

The run to take the title battle to the wire arguably began when City claimed a deserved 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, but this game lacked the intensity and quality of that March encounter.

Erling Haaland – who has now remarkably failed to score in seven major finals since joining City –  had the ball in the net before the half hour but Matheus Nunes was clearly offside before crossing for the Norway superstar to tap home.

Chelsea grew into the match as the interval approached, and Joao Pedro had penalty appeals waved away in stoppage time when he tumbled under a shoulder charge from Abdukodir Khusanov.

Omar Marmoush was a surprise starter ahead of Rayan Cherki for City and Guardiola sent on the France playmaker at halftime, his team having lacked attacking rhythm. Cherki was instantly involved, teeing up Nico O’Reilly for a left-wing cross that Semenyo headed over.

City then struggled as Rodri felt the pace on his return from injury. Chelsea could not turn their pressure into chances, though, and fell behind to a moment of inspiration in the 72nd minute.

WHAT A FLICK BY SEMENYO TO PUT CITY AHEAD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AJgCyjQo2R

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 16, 2026

Bernardo Silva slipped a pass down the right channel, where Semenyo held his run, knowing he’d strayed into an offside position. That left Haaland to pick up the pieces. He cut the ball back across goal and Semenyo executed a delicious backheel into the bottom left corner.

Interim Chelsea boss Calum McFarlane saw his team acquit themselves well for the most part, with Enzo Fernandez going close to an equaliser before Khusanov again sailed close to the wind with a challenge on Jorrel Hato . This is a talented group of young players put into perpetually difficult positions by a shambolic off-field operation. Chelsea fans protested against their board and owners on Wembley Way before kick-off. They and their players deserve better.

MORE: How many trophies has Pep Guardiola won?

Chelsea vs. Man City FA Cup final score

Venue: Wembley Stadium (London, UK)
Referee: Darren England

Lineups:

Chelsea (3-4-2-1, right to left): 1. Robert Sanchez (GK) – 29. Wesley Fofana, 6. Levi Colwill, 21. Jorrel Hato – 27. Malo Gusto, 24. Reece James (9. Liam Delap), 25. Moises Caicedo, 3. Marc Cucurella (7. Pedro Neto) – 10. Cole Palmer, 8. Enzo Fernandez – 20. Joao Pedro (49. Alejandro Garnacho)

Man City (4-2-3-1 right to left): 1. James Trafford (GK) — 27. Matheus Nunes, 45. Abdukodir Khusanov, 15. Marc Guehi, 33. Nico O’Reilly — 16. Rodri (8. Mateo Kovacic), 20. Bernardo Silva — 42. Antoine Semenyo, 7. Omar Marmoush (10. Rayan Cherki), 11. Jeremy Doku — 9. Erling Haaland

Chelsea vs Man City FA Cup final stats

Chelsea vs. Man City FA Cup final live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime: Manchester City win their eighth FA Cup!

It’s all over. Sementyo offers a prayer on the turf after he decided the 145th FA Cup final. Not a classic but it gets Pep Guardiola a domestic cup double and the 20th trophy of his 10 years in Manchester. His last? The second part of a domestic treble? Why don’t you come back next week and find out! Thanks for joining us.

CITY pic.twitter.com/fwrfPJCiZm

— Dom Farrell (@DomFarrell1986) May 16, 2026

90+5 mins: Preposterous stuff from Hato to foul Silva there. That’ll get City over the line. Blue and white flags out at Wembley.

90+4 mins: That shot from Neto is travelling but O’Reilly blocks. City almost there.

90 mins: Five minutes added on at Wembley. Can Chelsea provide a sting in the tail?

85 mins: Chelsea make a total mess of their building up, the ball sits up for Cherki, brilliant save from Sanchez to keep the cup final alive! Garnacho comes on for Joao Pedro. The City fans welcome a former Manchester United winger as you’d expect.

84 mins: O’Reilly charges into open space down the Chelsea right. City can finish it here, but he can’t pick out Haaland, who’s still waiting for that cup final goal. Now Cherki to the underlapping Nunes… Sanchez makes the block.

83 mins: Former City youth teamer Liam Delap is on for James to make a general nuisance of himself.

79 mins: The replay is a little kinder to Khusanov, who heads out of his own box before Trafford pushes a Neto effort away. City living on their wits a bit, with plenty of time still remaining.

76 mins: Hmmm they might have another look at that. Hato gets the wrong side of Khusanov, who blunders into the back of him from this vantage point. The shoulder charge on Joao Pedro in first-half stoppage time looked fair, but that… We’re playing on!

74 mins: Almost an instant response from Chelsea! Long throw is flicked on and Fernandez toes one onto the roof of the net. Chelsea have been the better side for most of this half and you sense they have to cling onto that.

72 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Antoine Semenyo!!!!!!

Oh, that’s a bit saucy! Semenyo checks his run because he know he’s offside. He leaves it to Haaland, who cuts the ball back for his fellow attacker to backheel a magnificent finish, leaving Sanchez with no chance.

HIGHLIGHT: Watch Antoine Semenyo goal in USA | Watch in UK

69 mins: Cucurella sticks to his task against Semenyo at the expense of a corner. Chelsea clear this one from Silva with the minimum of fuss.

68 mins: Cherki and Doku work it short, Cherki crosses to Guehi but Sanchez reads his volley back across goal and makes the catch.

67 mins: City with their first decent attack in ages. Doku wins the corner.

66 mins: Kovacic runs straight into a Cole Palmer challenge. Good start. Joao Pedro then slips in the box. He was sort of tangling with Khusanov but, again, by modern standards there’s not enough in that.

65 mins: Chelsea finding spaces all over the midfield. Rodri looks absolutely exhausted. An offside flag means Kovacic will finally be able to come on, to a smattering of boos, against his former club.

63 mins: Silva with a big, fair sliding tackle on James. You feel City need something like that, a little moment to turn the tide.

61 mins: James, who seems to be everywhere at the moment, looks to play in Palmer but Guehi reads his intentions and blocks the pass. It looks like Mateo Kovacic will be joining us shortly for City, which makes sense given Rodri can’t have much more than an hour in his legs after his recent lay-off.

59 mins: Nunes clear at the near post. James gets another go, hangs one up to the far post but Fofana never looked like getting that on target.

58 mins: James with a fine ball in. Rodri heads away. Doku challenges Caicedo on the edge of box. Fernandez’s cross is blocked behind by O’Reilly. Chelsea are appealling for all sorts but it looks like they’ll have to make do with a corner.

56 mins: Khusanov clumps into Cucurella and is into the book. Ragged couple of minutes from City and the Chelsea end is up.

55 mins: Backpass to Trafford and City needlessly concede a corner. Floated in, the keeper doesn’t fully get there and Rodri nods Caicedo’s looping header out of the goalmouth.

52 mins: Hmmm, Colwill might have got away with one there. Semenyo closes the Chelsea defender down, makes a challenge and the ball spins to Doku with a sight of goal. Referee England penalises Semenyo for a foul.

47 mins: Cherki involved straight away. Finds O’Reilly who hangs up a cross to the far post that Semenyo heads over.

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Kickoff: 2nd Half

We’re back underway. Rayan Cherki replaces Omar Marmoush for Manchester City after going through a sustained half-time warm-up on the field.

Halftime

Well, considering the quality on both sides, this has really not been very good at all. Let’s try again in 15 minutes.

45+1 mins: Three minutes to be added onto a pretty forgettable first half in the 145th FA Cup final. Oooh, mistake from Bernardo Silva and Joao Pedro could be in. Khusanov comes over to close the door and down he goes. Good old-fashioned shoulder-to-shoulder. Play on!

Pedro goes down asking for a penalty but the referee waves play on 👀

📺 Watch live on TNT Sports and HBO Max pic.twitter.com/iBE86d8JQ0

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 16, 2026

44 mins: City have been quiet as an attacking force for the past few minutes but Guehi whips a gorgeous through ball for Haaland. Sanchez stands firm and turns the shot behind.

41 mins: Chelsea having a decent spell of pressure here. Right-wing corner headed clear before Rodri is able to buy a free-kick.

39 mins: Chelsea look to Gusto again. He has Palmer for support this time but his cross towards Cucurella is overhit.

38 mins: Gusto is looking like Chelsea’s main attacking outlet at the moment. A volleyed cross this time that Guehi stoops to head away.

36 mins: Gusto fashions some room for a cross but Trafford sees it all the way.

34 mins: Semenyo cuts inside from the free-kick but smashes over left-footed.

33 mins: Khusanov mops up inside the City box and punts clear. That releases Semenyo and Cucurella very much decides it’s time to take a yellow. Could be a long hour to come.

31 mins: Concerns for Chelsea here, with Joao Pedro on the deck. He seems to have done something to his thigh. He’s going to try to continue.

29 mins: Oh my, that’s a big of a naughty challenge from Fernandez into Silva’s shins after a tackle with Semenyo. Referee Darren England opts for a yellow card. 

27 mins: City have the ball in the net but Nunes had clearly run offside to collect Semenyo’s pass before crossing for Haaland to tap in. Felt like he didn’t really need to be off there and City got their timing wrong.

23 mins: Doku and Haaland hustle James out of possession and Haaland is into the box. It’s a tight angle, though, and he clatters his shot out for a throw-in. Can see what he was trying, but that’s obviously not his finest work.

22 mins: Gusto and Palmer close the door on Doku and Chelsea can break. Well, Joao Pedro can on his own and Khusanov has the afterburners on. Eventually, the Brazil international gets a shot off but he loses his footing and Trafford unfussily gathers.

21 mins: They take it short and are chased all the way back into their own half by City. Goodness me, that was wretched. 

20 mins: Chelsea muster an attack, which keeps going despite Joao Pedro treading on the ball. Teasing cross by Gusto an Nunes is forced to put a diving header behind.

14 mins: Semenyo seems to have taken a shine to Cucurella. He slots ball into a dangerous area through the six-yard box but there’s no one there. A touch too far in front of Haaland.

12 mins: City push Chelsea back. The Londoners hold their shape well and are rewarded as no one in sky blue makes a run for Guehi’s pass. But they do look a touch passive so early on.

10 mins: Ball in eventually to the back post. Rodri nods it into the danger zone. Haaland swings a leg to try to hook the ball over his head. Fernandez and James are in harm’s way and the Norwegian is punished for dangerous play.

9 mins: Free-kick to City about 35 yards out. Semenyo decides it’s ripe for a shot. He’ll have had better ideas. City attack again down the left. Marmoush and Doku combine in a triangle with O’Reilly, who wins the game’s first corner.

7 mins: Semenyo cuts inside, into the box. His left-footed shot is deflected and spins towards Marmoush, who can’t contort himself to make meaningful contact with the volley.

5 mins: Not a great deal has happened so far. Colwill and Nunes have both scruffily duffed passs out of play. Now Cucurella with room to move down the City right, but he gets unceremoniously sat down by Khusanov.

Kickoff: 1st Half

Chelsea get us underway, back to Sanchez. He pumps it long. City settle into some possession.

5 mins before kickoff: Here are the teams. It’s been subdued before during the build-up, but the atmosphere has whipped up now. The past 10 FA Cup finals have featured one of these teams, but it’s the first time they’ve played each other in the showpiece. Quirky.

10 mins before kickoff: As FA Cup final traditional dictates, we’re now having the official tournament hymn Abide With Me. Always a beautiful moment, sung this year by Bradford’s Bantam of the Opera choir and the Band of the Household Cavalry. Now we’re into big tunes, displays and pyro. The two teams will be with us shortly.

30 mins before kickoff: There’s plenty of speculation still swirling over whether or not Pep Guardiola will see out the final year of his contract at Manchester City next season. If he does, there might be some bridges to mend and decision to make with some of his squad members. Rodri’s recovery means City came into this game with a fully-fit first-team squad. As a consequence, Nico Gonzlez, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis are not even in the matchday squad. Gvardiol only returned from a broken leg in midweek, when Ait-Nouri also started. Lewis essentially disappeared from view a few months ago, but Nico’s absence is the most noteworthy. The Spanish holding midfielder scored a screaming winner in the semifinal against Southampton but followed that up with a poor showing in the 3-3 draw at Everton. This is the second consecutive game where he has not made the matchday squad despite being the only specialist cover for Rodri.

It feels a safe bet there will be a market for Nico this summer. It’s felt for some time as if the same could be said for Marmoush, but a match-winning performance in a cup final might yet alter the trajectory of the Egypt star’s City career.

Getty Images

45 mins before kickoff: Here’s a the Chelsea team. Levi Colwill keeps his place in the starting XI for only his second match since an ACL injury decimated his season. Colwill is part of a back three with Wesley Fofana and Jorrel Hato. Captain Reece James starts in central midfield, with Malo Gusto at wing-back. Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez will play in support of Joao Pedro in attack.

Lining up for Chelsea! 💪#CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/1IllsmOwHc

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 16, 2026

1 hour before kickoff: The teams are in. Omar Marmoush is rewarded for his goals in City’s past two matches with a start, playing off Erling Haaland. It means Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden must be content with spots on the bench. Rodri returns from a groin injury for his first start since last month’s Premier League win over Arsenal. How many minutes does the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner have in his legs? Marc Guehi starts the cup final 12 months on from skippering Crystal Palace to victory over City in this fixture.

Your FA Cup final line-up! ​​💪🩵

XI | Trafford, Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly, Rodri, Bernardo (C), Semenyo, Marmoush, Doku, Haaland

SUBS | Donnarumma, Dias, Reijnders, Stones, Ake, Kovacic, Cherki, Savinho, Foden

🤝 @etihad pic.twitter.com/VmKbV57Pr0

— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 16, 2026

1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: Plenty of observers have remarked that this isn’t exactly an FA Cup final teeming with the old magic. But what about the prospect of Calum McFarlane, the rookie Chelsea interim manager and former Manchester City youth coach picking up the trophy at the expense of his old employers and arguably the best manager in modern football history in Pep Guardiola? Doesn’t that whet your whistle? 

If Chelsea are to get the job done they’ll have to overturn wretched runs of form, both in the immediate past and in this fixture over the past five years. The last time the Blues won a non-FA Cup game was 12 matches ago against Aston Villa on March 4. Liam Rosenior, remember him? Anyway, Chelsea are also winless in 13 matches against City, losing 10. Their last win? Only the 2021 Champions League final…

2 hours before kickoff. Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Chelsea vs. Manchester City in the 145th FA Cup final.

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Chelsea vs. Man City FA Cup final kick off time

The FA Cup final kicks off in London at 3 p.m. local time.

Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Chelsea vs. Man City FA Cup final match facts

• The two clubs have met on 182 previous occasions with Chelsea just holding the historic win advantage — 71 to 69.
• However, the Blues haven’t beaten City since the last time they met in a final when Thomas Tuchel won the 2021 Champions League. 
• In the 13 games since, City have won 10, including twice in the FA Cup. 

Chelsea vs. Man City FA Cup final team news

Chelsea

• After deploying a back three for the draw at Liverpool, Calum McFarlane sticks with a similar formation here. 
• Reece James is alongside Moises Caicedo in midfield, with Malo Gusto starting at right wing-back.
• Levi Colwill starts in a remarkable turn of events after missing almost the entire season with an ACL injury. 

Man City

• Pep Guardiola brings back most of his big guns after resting the likes of Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku for the win over Palace. 
• Rodri has not played since the win over Arsenal last month but is in from the start.
• Marc Guehi is free to play because the FA changed its rules at the start of the season, allowing players to play for two clubs in one campaign. He had already featured in Palace’s shock defeat to Macclesfield having captained the Eagles to the trophy 12 months ago.
• Omar Marmoush has scored in City’s past two matches and gets a start.

Chelsea vs. Man City FA Cup final live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions: