Man City Player Ratings vs. Chelsea: Semenyo Magic Decides FA Cup Final

Man City followed up their Carabao Cup triumph with more Wembley delight.

A glorious day for Man City. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images.

Antoine Semenyo’s inspired backheel secured Manchester City their eighth FA Cup title in a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Chelsea in Saturday’s final.

Man City had been projected to blow their out-of-form opponents away at Wembley, but a forgettable first half passed without many instances of excitement. Erling Haaland was at the heart of City’s brightest moments, an offside tap-in at the far post followed by a venomous strike parried by Robert Sánchez.

Frustrations built after the restart as Pep Guardiola’s men struggled to create clear-cut openings, but a moment of inspiration from Semenyo offered them the breakthrough. The winter recruit’s gorgeous flick opened the scoring in the 72nd minute and placed one City hand on the trophy.

Chelsea tried to flex their attacking muscles in search of a late equalizer, but City’s stubborn defense held firm to clinch another FA Cup title for the Manchester giants, and secure a domestic double after March’s Carabao Cup final triumph.

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Winners and Losers

Winners

A stunning finish from Semenyo opened the scoring. | Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

City have been in fine attacking form across recent weeks, but their creative struggles at Wembley saw them desperate for a hero. Fortunately, Semenyo was on hand.

The Ghana international was a constant bright spark down City’s right wing, showcasing the bravery in possession that was lacking among some of his teammates. Semenyo’s unpredictably caused major issues, with the wide man capable of cutting inside or reaching the byline, and a deft finish proved the match’s defining moment.

City’s other winter signing deserves immense credit, too. Ex-Chelsea defender Marc Guéhi was instrumental in Crystal Palace’s FA Cup final victory over the Cityzens last season, and a similarly defiant defensive performance kept Chelsea relatively quiet. Winning the bulk of his individual duels and offering supreme composure in possession, Guéhi came back to haunt his old side.

Loser

Guardiola threw Omar Marmoush into the mix unexpectedly. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Guardiola is notorious for tinkering with his tactics and personnel on the big stage, and Omar Marmoush benefited from his manager’s overthinking at Wembley. Fresh from scoring in back-to-back games, the forward was thrust into the lineup in place of Rayan Cherki, primarily operating alongside Haaland in the final third.

However, the experiment ultimately failed, Marmoush anonymous during the first half and managing just 10 touches. Unsurprisingly, Guardiola remedied his mistake at half time, replacing the Egyptian with Cherki to help liven things up.

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Man City Player Ratings vs. Chelsea (4-4-2)

Rodri (middle) returned to the City team after a month out of action. | Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—7.1: Bar several iffy moments after the restart, Trafford was a spectator for much of the encounter.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.5: Offered offensive support to Antoine Semenyo as City sought to overload Chelsea’s left-hand side. Necessarily physical when dealing with Marc Cucurella’s forward forays.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—7.3: The defender’s aggressive approach was largely effective, Khusanov racing into challenges with various Chelsea forwards—although several collisions in his own box prompted brief VAR reviews.

CB: Marc Guéhi—7.8: A quirk of new FA Cup rules means Guéhi, who had already been dumped out of the FA Cup with Crystal Palace at Macclesfield earlier this season, was able to start at Wembley. Didn’t put a foot wrong against his former employers.

LB: Nico O’Reilly—7.6: City’s Carabao Cup final hero was much quieter on this occasion, unable to provide any goalscoring threat with late darts into the penalty area. Defended admirably, though.

RM: Antoine Semenyo—7.6: Caused regular issues for Cucurella with his endeavor and power, often finding himself involved in City’s most promising attacking sequences. An audacious flick proved vital.

CM: Rodri—6.9: An unspectacular display on his return from injury. Kept things ticking in the engine room without ever stealing attention.

CM: Bernardo Silva—7.0: One lapse of concentration gifted Chelsea a promising opportunity, but Silva was otherwise flawless in his last cup final with City.

LM: Jérémy Doku—7.7: Chelsea made a concerted effort to double up on Doku, limiting his effectiveness. However, he found more joy as the match wore on and his markers tired.

ST: Omar Marmoush—6.3: Snatched at the only half chance that came his way during what was a tepid performance. Marmoush’s surprise promotion to the XI backfired.

ST: Erling Haaland—7.8: Haaland’s wait for his first cup final goal with City continues, but he at least assisted Semenyo with a neat cross toward the near post.

SUB: Rayan Cherki (46’ for Marmoush)—7.0: Offered some swagger from the bench without ever hurting Chelsea.

SUB: Mateo Kovačić (65’ for Rodri)—6.3: Provided some much-needed energy in central areas.

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Rúben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Aké, Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden, Savinho.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Another excellent outing for Bernardo Silva. | Alex Pantling/The FA/The FA/Getty Images

• Semenyo will deservedly steal the plaudits for his winning goal, but City’s defense also demand praise for their assured performance. Guéhi wasn’t the only shining light at the back, with Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly locking up Chelsea’s wide threats, while Abdukodir Khusanov’s physicality made life difficult for João Pedro and Co. On a day when City lacked attacking spark, their defense came up big.
• Bernardo Silva offered another reminder of his excellence with a composed display against a combative Chelsea midfield. The Portuguese playmaker floated through the match with his typical grace, and deservedly found himself on the winning side.

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The Numbers That Explain Man City’s Wembley Triumph

• It was certainly not a vintage City performance, Guardiola’s side managing just nine shots and one big chance at Wembley. However, they found the necessary clinical edge in their time of need, Semenyo scoring with a shot that registered an expected goals total of just 0.09.
• City were resolute defensively, however, limiting Chelsea to scraps. The Londoners managed just one shot on target throughout the match, with James Trafford hardly involved.
• For Guardiola, Saturday marks his 20th trophy as City boss. An astonishing tally reiterates his place as the greatest manager on the planet.

Statistic	Chelsea	Man City
Possession	44%	56%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.82	0.93
Total Shots	7	9
Shots on Target	1	4
Big Chances	0	1
Passing Accuracy	84%	87%
Fouls Committed	15	13
Corners	4	4

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