Antoine Semenyo delivers cup glory for Manchester City after Pep Guardiola’s tactical tweak

Antoine Semenyo's slick goal was the difference between the two teams and delivered Manchester City the FA Cup (AP)

They all wanted Antoine Semenyo. Tottenham last summer, Manchester United and Liverpool in January. Chelsea were interested too, though that may be less noteworthy given that they tend to want every winger on the planet.

Manchester City got him, and if the financial muscle to pay a sizeable fee helps, if the availability of one of the leading scorers in the Premier League who was both at a smaller club and in possession of a release clause meant it hardly counted as an inspired piece of scouting, there can be a reward for doing the obvious. But there can be one for thinking out of the box, for trying the unorthodox, too.

There was for Semenyo, anyway. The man who has gone from National League South to national stadium, from Bath City to Manchester City, produced the finest moment of his career with a dash of the audacious, a touch of the inventive. There was a time when FA Cup finals were won by crashing into goalkeepers, bundling the ball over the line. This was decided by a backheeled flick.

Forget the $64,000 question, he is the £64m answer. Semenyo’s glorious goal means he has a cup double to show for his first five months as a City player. He scored in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, the FA Cup final against Chelsea. It is fair to say he has had a quite an impact. It may not surprise his admirers at Anfield or Old Trafford, in west London or north.

He may yet have a treble to show for half a season, though he may need to take his scoring habit on his first return to Bournemouth on Tuesday. And part of Semenyo’s appeal lay in the obvious: he scores goals. A 10th in his City career means he has reached double figures for two clubs this season.

Semenyo’s City debut came in the FA Cup. He scored then, too, even if it was lost among the nine other goals they put past Exeter. Before he arrived, City were searching for a second scorer, someone who could relieve the burden on Erling Haaland.

Antoine Semenyo scored a slick backheel to win the game for Manchester City (AP)

The Norwegian still has not struck in a final for City, even if he did have a goal disallowed. But he made the winner and he is more creative than his reputation would suggest. Only three players have more assists in the Premier League this season. Now he has one in the FA Cup. He picked out Semenyo to divert the ball past Robert Sanchez.

It produced, ridiculously, Pep Guardiola’s 20th trophy with City. It was a throwback to the club’s first of the modern era. Rewind a decade and a half and City’s 35-year wait for major silverware was ended by a goal from the man in the No 42 shirt. Semenyo picked Yaya Toure’s number when he arrived. Now he has emulated him in another respect.

The manager who bought him may owe him a debt. The familiar accusation is that Guardiola overthinks his choices on major occasions. Indeed, Chelsea can be grateful for that. The misguided choice of Raheem Sterling in the 2021 Champions League final was a contributory factor in Chelsea’s triumph; with Thomas Tuchel, their manager that day, watching on, Calum McFarlane borrowed from his playbook to use the 3-4-2-1 formation that drove Chelsea to European glory. It frustrated City in the first half here.

Pep Guardiola switch his tactics throughout the game leading to Semenyo's goal (PA)

Yet that was in part due to Guardiola’s surprise selection of Omar Marmoush instead of Rayan Cherki. It had certain similarities with his mistake at the Bernabeu this year, choosing three wingers; then Semenyo suffered as a No 10. By the time Guardiola could correct it, City were trailing to a Fede Valverde hat-trick.

This time, having got his tactics wrong, he rectified it by getting them right. Marmoush had been smothered, deprived of space in which to use his pace. He was removed at the break, Guardiola introducing the player who should have started. After missing a penalty in last year’s FA Cup final, Marmoush may feel this is not his stage.

City won the FA Cup in what is Guardiola's 20th title with the club (AP)

It was Cherki’s. He darted around impishly, taking the ball, starving Chelsea of it, leaving their three centre-backs with a solitary striker to mark. McFarlane had stuffed Chelsea with defensive personnel: two who were defensive midfielders when signed, six who are defenders by trade.

It was fine as long as Chelsea kept a clean sheet. Semenyo ensured they did not. And so his goal became a parting gift to the departing duo of John Stones and Bernardo Silva, the captain beckoning the defender along to lift the trophy with him. Guardiola watched on, clapping affectionately. He has seen plenty of silverware over the years. But Semenyo, who has played in non-league, League Two, League One and the Championship, has the sort of backstory that renders him a traditional FA Cup hero. Even if this was far from a traditional way to win it.