Manchester City secured their eighth FA Cup title on Saturday, May 16, 2026, after edging Chelsea 1-0 in a tightly contested final at Wembley Stadium. The win marks City’s second trophy of the season following their League Cup success against Arsenal in March, keeping alive their ambitions of completing a domestic cup double.
The decisive moment arrived in the 72nd minute through a moment of brilliance from Antoine Semenyo. The 26-year-old winger, signed from Bournemouth during the January transfer window, latched onto a low delivery from Erling Haaland and produced an audacious back-flick that beat Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez at the far post.
Semenyo’s winner etched his name into FA Cup final history, a particularly meaningful achievement for the London-born forward, who grew up near Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. The triumph also delivered a third FA Cup crown for manager Pep Guardiola during his decade in charge of City, taking his overall tally with the club to 20 trophies. The victory additionally ended City’s run of back-to-back FA Cup final defeats to Crystal Palace and Manchester United.
City controlled possession for much of the match, although Chelsea remained dangerous on the counterattack and were denied a first-half penalty after Joao Pedro went down under a challenge from Abdukodir Khusanov.
Attention now turns back to the Premier League title race. City sit five points behind leaders Arsenal, who face Burnley on Monday. Guardiola’s side can reduce the gap to two points with victory over Bournemouth on Tuesday, although Arsenal remain favourites to secure their first league title since 2004. For Chelsea, the defeat adds to a disappointing campaign, with the club currently ninth in the table under interim manager Calum McFarlane.
