- Chelsea have set an unwanted record following their 1-0 loss to Manchester City at the 2025/26 FA Cup final
- Ghanaian winger Antoine Semenyo broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute to win the trophy for the City
- The 26-year-old became the first Ghanaian footballer to find the net in the final of the world’s oldest cup competition
Manchester City defeated Chelsea 1-0 to win the 2025/26 FA Cup title at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 16, as the Blues set an unwanted record.
Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute to hand Pep Guardiola’s side victory in a closely contested final.
Semenyo has impressed since joining City from Bournemouth in January for £64 million, and his 10th goal for the club proved decisive on the grand stage.
Source: Getty Images
Erling Haaland delivered a low cross into the penalty area before Semenyo, while holding off Levi Colwill, cleverly flicked the ball into the far corner with his right heel.
Chelsea had earlier come close to scoring after Moisés Caicedo saw his header cleared off the line by Rodri, while Enzo Fernandez also sent an effort onto the roof of the net.
The Blues also appealed for several penalties during the match, with interim coach Calum McFarlane particularly frustrated by Abdukodir Khusanov’s challenge on Jorrel Hato inside the box.
Cole Palmer spent much of the game tracking back to contain Jeremy Doku and struggled to make an impact in attack.
The victory ended Manchester City’s run of consecutive defeats in FA Cup finals after losses to Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the previous two editions, per Sky Sports.
Chelsea set unwanted record
Chelsea have now lost an English football record four FA Cup finals in a row and seven domestic finals in a row since Antonio Conte’s side won the FA Cup.
According to the club’s official website, the Blues lost the FA Cup to Manchester United in 2018 and suffered defeat in six finals at Wembley (three FA Cup and three League Cup).
The last Chelsea player to score in a final at Wembley was Christian Pulisic in the 2020 FA Cup final against Arsenal, played behind closed doors due to the pandemic.
Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, England international Reece James has played in four FA Cup finals and ended on the losing side each time.
It also leaves Chelsea with the real prospect of missing out on European qualification while ninth in the Premier League.
Chelsea are just the second side to lose four consecutive FA Cup final appearances, after Leicester City between 1949 and 1969.
How much Man City earned
Legit.ng earlier reported that Manchester City and Chelsea arrived in the final with £2,024,500 in their pockets having won all five games they played heading on their way to reaching the final.
Pep Guardiola’s side earned an additional £2,120,000 for winning the final, while runners-up Chelsea received an additional £1,060,000.
Source: Legit.ng