Pep Guardiola collected a 20th trophy with Manchester City as Antoine Semenyo’s clever flick earned a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final. The win gave City an eighth FA Cup triumph. Only Arsenal, with 14 wins, and Manchester United, with 13, have lifted the trophy more often in the competition’s history.
Semenyo struck the decisive goal at Wembley after joining City from Bournemouth in January. Across this FA Cup campaign, Semenyo has been involved in more City goals than any team-mate, with five direct contributions. Those came from three goals and two assists, underlining Semenyo’s rapid impact in domestic cup competition.
Asked by TNT Sports about playing for Guardiola, Semenyo offered a vivid description of the manager’s intensity.
Semenyo responded: "He's a mad man!He's a mad man.We all love him. He's so passionate, he wants to win trophies. What he's done for the club has been amazing. I'm so grateful to be here, that he gets to coach me and make me a better player, and he's just a top man. "
Semenyo’s overall season numbers highlight the form that carried into the Manchester City FA Cup final. The forward has scored 20 goals in all competitions, splitting those evenly with 10 for City and 10 for Bournemouth. Semenyo has also produced six assists, again divided equally, with three for each club during the 2025-26 season.
City also completed another domestic double this season by adding the EFL Cup. Manchester City are the second club to win both the EFL Cup and FA Cup in more than one season. City previously did so in 2018-19, while Liverpool achieved the same feat in 2000-01 and 2021-22.100% - Manchester City in 2025-26 are the first team in history to win every single match across both the FA Cup (6/6) and League Cup (6/6) in a single season. Domesticated. pic.twitter.com/awsB0zyOw9OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 16, 2026
Reflecting on the winning goal in the Manchester City FA Cup final and the past months, Semenyo explained the emotions and technique. Semenyo said: "I don't know how to feel right now. I'm quite numb at the moment, Semenyo said. I just tried to improvise the best I couldit went in the bottom corner, I can't complain. I've done it a couple of times in training, and luckily I got a good connection. If it goes behind me, I might try a trick or tooit worked, I'm grateful! It's been hard work, I'm learning a lot, I've got top pros around me, a top coach. It's been a great four monthslong may it continue. It shows that hard work pays off. Whatever happens in life, it doesn't mean it's the end. You just keep working hard and get your rewards. "
The Manchester City FA Cup final win, sealed by Semenyo’s improvised finish, extended a dominant domestic cup run under Guardiola. The campaign added to City’s trophy record, while Semenyo’s performances strengthened a breakthrough season for the forward. The combination of Guardiola’s demanding approach and Semenyo’s progress continues to shape City’s success.
