Man City beats Chelsea 1-0 in FA Cup final after audacious Antoine Semenyo goal

admin — Sat, 16 May 2026 18:08:00 +0000

Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the English FA Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City in London, on May 16, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

In its 155-year history the FA Cup final can rarely have been won by a more audacious goal.

Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday (May 16, 2026) thanks to a moment of magic from Antoine Semenyo.

The forward brought to life a final that had produced little in the way of chances or excitement with a spectacular back-heeled goal in the second half.

Running onto a cross from Erling Haaland in the 72nd minute, Semenyo flicked his heel at the ball and directed it low into the far corner past diving Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Victory kept City in the hunt for a domestic trophy treble, having already won the English League Cup. Pep Guardiola’s team is also second in the Premier League, two points behind Arsenal with two rounds to go.

This was Guardiola’s 17th major trophy in 10 years at City and his 35th in his career overall.

City has won the Cup eight times and moved level with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham as equal third on the all-time winners’ list.

Defeat means Chelsea will end the season trophyless — a year after being crowned Club World Cup champion — in what has been a crisis-ridden campaign.

After firing two coaches since the turn of the year, Chelsea went into the final with a novice on the sideline in Calum McFarlane, a former youth coach taking charge of only his seventh first team game.

The turmoil at Chelsea led to supporters staging a protest against its American owners outside the stadium before kickoff.

In that sense it was commendable that McFarlane was able to frustrate Guardiola for such long periods.

That was until Semenyo’s match-winning moment.

The Ghana international joined City from Bournemouth only in January and made an immediate impact — scoring 10 goals and helping the team to two trophies.

After the final whistle City fans sang the club anthem “Blue Moon” loudly, and cheering Bernardo Silva and John Stones as they lifted the famous trophy. Both players are leaving at the end of the season.

“Since I arrived it’s been 20 trophies, which isn’t bad. I care a lot about Manchester City,” said Bernardo, counting Community Shield victories as well.

Triumph for City came after back-to-back losses in the final in the previous two years. This was the record fourth year in a row it reached the final, having last won it in 2023.

Arsenal has won soccer’s oldest knockout competition a record 14 times. Manchester United was second with 13.

Published – May 16, 2026 09:41 pm IST

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Full List, Fees And Player Stats

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:14:00 +0000

The January 2026 transfer window closes today, wrapping up a month in which clubs across Europe and South America reshaped their squads ahead of the season’s second half. While this window has been quieter than usual, several noteworthy deals still made headlines. Here’s a look at the 10 most-expensive transfers, counting down from the costliest.

1. Antoine Semenyo – €72 million

Manchester City won the race for Antoine Semenyo, beating several top clubs to sign the Bournemouth forward for €72 million, making him the priciest player of the window. The 26-year-old Ghanaian impressed in the first half of the season with 10 goals and 3 assists in 21 appearances, and he has already begun scoring for City after his move.

2. Lucas Paquetá – €42 million

Lucas Paquetá returned to his boyhood club Flamengo, who paid €42 million to sign him from West Ham United. The move also made Paquetá the most expensive signing in Brazilian football history, breaking a record set only days earlier. The midfielder made 139 appearances for West Ham, registering 23 goals and 15 assists.

3. Conor Gallagher – €40 million

Conor Gallagher’s spell in La Liga ended as Atlético Madrid sold him to Tottenham Hotspur for €40 million. Gallagher, who joined Atlético from Chelsea in 2024, played 77 matches for the Spanish side, scoring seven goals. His return to London reunites him with Premier League football after two seasons abroad.

4. Brennan Johnson – €40 million

Crystal Palace shattered their transfer record by signing Brennan Johnson from Tottenham for €40 million. Johnson scored in last season’s Europa League final, helping Spurs end a 17-year trophy drought, but struggled for playing time this season. The 24-year-old now becomes the most expensive signing in Palace’s history.

5. Oscar Bobb – €31.2 million

Oscar Bobb’s Manchester City journey came to an end as Fulham purchased the academy graduate for €31.2 million. Bobb made 47 senior appearances, contributing three goals and four assists. Fulham see the 22-year-old as a long-term creative asset.

6. Taty Castellanos – €29 million

West Ham were busy this winter, also signing Argentine striker Taty Castellanos from Lazio for €29 million. The 27-year-old featured 98 times for Lazio, scoring 22 goals and supplying 16 assists. He strengthens West Ham’s frontline as they push for European football.

7. Rayan – €28.5 million

Bournemouth added Brazilian teenager Rayan from Vasco da Gama for €28.5 million. The 19-year-old scored 20 goals in 57 matches for Vasco in 2025. Seen as a potential successor to Semenyo, Rayan arrives as one of Brazil’s brightest attacking prospects.

8. Matteo Guendouzi – €28 million

French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi left Lazio for Fenerbahçe in a €28 million deal. The 26-year-old has had an eventful career—after emerging at Lorient, he moved to Arsenal, enjoyed loan stints in Germany and France, joined Marseille permanently, and later Lazio. Now he begins a new chapter in Turkey.

9. Gerson – €27 million

Cruzeiro completed one of the biggest domestic transfers in Brazil’s history by signing Gerson from Zenit for €27 million. The Brazilian midfielder briefly became the most expensive signing in Brazilian football before Paquetá’s arrival at Flamengo surpassed him.

10. Lorenzo Lucca – €26 million

Napoli signed towering striker Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese for €26 million, then immediately loaned him to Premier League side Nottingham Forest for the remainder of the season. Forest hold an option to buy the 6’7″ forward this summer, making his long-term future an intriguing storyline.

11. Pablo & Marc Guéhi – €23 million each

Two players jointly rank outside the top 10 but were notable moves:

Pablo, the Portuguese-born Brazilian striker who scored 10 goals in 13 league matches for Gil Vicente, joined West Ham for €23 million.
Marc Guéhi moved to Manchester City from Crystal Palace for the same fee. With his contract expiring this summer, Palace opted to sell their captain rather than lose him for free—especially after his failed Liverpool move in 2025.

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