Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City: Semenyo backheel earns eighth FA Cup triumph against spirited Blues

Malo Gusto delivered a really dangerous cross into the middle after Reece James played it quickly to the right-back, and Cucurella almost made something of it at the back post before the ball was smothered behind for Chelsea’s first corner.

An excellent scissor-kick pass from Enzo Fernandez set Joao Pedro away five minutes later, catching Guardiola’s trademark high line out, but the Brazilian slipped attempting the shot after making it all the way into the penalty area from halfway.

He was nearly made to regret it by Erling Haaland moments later when the Norwegian dispossessed Gusto and flashed a shot across goal and wide, before tapping home Nunes’ low ball from the right only for the flag to raise for an offside.

Rayan Cherki was introduced at half time by Guardiola to breathe life into a labored final and was on the ball two minutes after the break before spraying it to Nico O’Reilly on the left, whose clipped cross was headed onto the roof of the net by Semenyo.

Chelsea looked as though they might need a stroke of luck to get near the City goal, and it came when James Trafford carelessly let Marc Guéhi’s back pass sneak out for a corner before seeing Moises Caicedo’s header cleared off the line by the omnipresent Silva.

The Blues were up in arms near the hour mark in their appeal for a penalty when Fernández’s cross was blocked by O’Reilly, with replays showing his back turned and arm tucked into his body. VAR promptly checked and cleared the incident.

Callum McFarlane’s side were really growing into the game, pressing more actiely and playing with confidence, embodied by Cucurella intercepting a switch from Cherki and allowing Pedro to skillfully spin Nunes, opting to stay on his feet this time around.

But Semenyo quashed the resurgence with less than 20 minutes to go after Haaland held the ball up well for Silva running into the half-space on the right and shifting it back to the striker, capping off a great move with the cheekiest of backheels into the bottom left.

Fernández almost bagged a sensational equalizer right after Semenyo’s opener, hooking a flicked header inside the box onto the roof of the net as most Blues fans thought they had the goal their side grew to deserve as the game neared the final 10.

Jorrel Hato took matters into his own hands as time ticked away, exchanging a swift one-two with substitute Pedro Neto and running nearly the length of the pitch before going down, with the last defender breathing down his neck.

Not for the first time in the match, the referee waived away the claims.

City pushed for a second goal right up until five additional minutes were announced to the raucous Wembley crowd, while substitute LIam Delap had his head in his hands when he sent a header well over the top.

It proved to be the last real sight of goal for McFarlane on just his sixth outing in his second stint as interim manager of the Blues, who now could go without continental football next year if their form doesn’t improve with two games of the league season remaining.