Manchester City rewrote English Football history, clinching the 2026 FA Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, led by a moment of brilliance from Antoine Semenyo.
With it, City became the first club ever to win both domestic cups, the FA Cup and the League Cup, without losing or even drawing a single match. The FA Cup began in 1871, and the League Cup in 1960 — no other club had won the ‘double’ by winning all the matches in these 66 years before City.
Pep Guardiola’s side controlled possession from the opening stages, but Chelsea’s compact five-man defence frustrated City in a cagey and scrappy first half. Erling Haaland had the first clear opportunity after winning possession near the Chelsea penalty area, but the Norwegian
dragged his effort wide from a tight angle.
City threatened again just before the break when Haaland burst onto a loose pass and fired a powerful strike at the near post, only for Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to make a sharp save. Chelsea, who largely relied on counter-attacks, felt they should have had a penalty moments later when Joao Pedro went down under a challenge from Abdukodir Khusanov, but their appeals were waved away.
Guardiola’s men emerged with greater urgency after halftime. Semenyo wasted a golden chance soon after the restart, heading over from close range after connecting with Nico O’Reilly’s cross. Chelsea responded with a dangerous spell of their own, with Moises Caicedo’s header cleared off the line by Rodri after James Trafford failed to deal cleanly with a corner.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 72nd minute. Haaland drove into the right side of the penalty area before cutting the ball back towards Semenyo, who produced an audacious back-heel finish that curled beyond Sanchez into the far corner.
The spectacular strike proved decisive as City secured their eighth FA Cup title.
Pep Guardiola also creates history
This was Guardiola’s third triumph in the competition after previous successes in 2019 and 2023. He became the first-ever manager in English football history to do the domestic cup double twice, having previously achieved it in the 2019 season.
