For a centerpiece of England’s sporting calendar, there was nothing particularly thrilling about Manchester City’s triumph over Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup final. For the standout number of world-class attacking talent on the pitch, the teams mustered a combined five shots on target and 1.16 expected goals, a single goal in the final 20 minutes the only real cause for celebration for any fans in attendance at London’s Wembley Stadium. It was an unglamorous way for City to win their second trophy of the season, doing so nearly two months after beating Arsenal on the same pitch in the EFL Cup final, but the point was hard to miss – dominance is this team’s defining feature, entertainment value be damned.
This version of City pales in comparison to previous iterations, but to their credit, they were not the boring team in a lackluster match. That distinction went to Chelsea, who have not only failed to get results but have looked putrid along the way, while dull games like this one have regrettably been a feature rather than a bug in England this season. As uneventful as the FA Cup final may have been, though, City were the aggressors – the lion’s share of the unimpressive combined attacking output came from the eventual victors, the Blues limited to just one shot on target. They were the favorites on the day for a reason, finishing the job even in imperfect circumstances.
The story of City’s season might just be Erling Haaland’s lengthy cold streak, the Norway international transforming from cheat code to mere mortal somewhere near the midway point of the season. The goals still come, but do so intermittently rather than consistently, the forward sometimes fading into the background during high-stakes matches. Saturday was no different. He took just 12 touches in 90 minutes and registered a single shot that clocked in at 0.08 expected goals.
It was ultimately no matter, City benefitted from a multi-faceted back-up plan. Antonie Semenyo has assumed the role as City’s new and reliable goalscorer since his January arrival with his 10th goal since making the move from Bournemouth. If the match had lacked style points, the Ghana international did what he could to make up for it with a flick near goal that rendered Chelsea’s defense useless.
Semenyo has almost singlehandedly buoyed City with his instant contributions, adding dimension to an attack that had become one-note once Haaland’s dip in form was hard to ignore. He was not the first wintertime panic buy City had made in recent years – the fact that Liverpool had overtaken them early in last season’s title race means the team’s owners have spent roughly $600 million on transfers in the last three windows, some plans panning out better than others. Omar Marmoush, a fellow starter on Saturday and someone who joined City a year before Semenyo did with the hopes of making a similar impact, did not make much of an impact before he was yanked at halftime and fellow January 2025 addition Nico Gonzalez has not made much of a dent in the team, either.
Between Semenyo and center back Marc Guehi, who also joined midseason and started on Saturday, a little bit of practice in last-ditch transfer market efforts has gone a long way for City. From an attacking standpoint specifically, Semenyo and an in-form Haaland – whenever he returns – should liven up City’s trophy haul attempt next season, especially when adding France international Rayan Cherki to the equation.
The new additions have hit their stride in time to experience City’s ability to overcome the obstacles in front of them, Haaland a prime example on Saturday. It was far from a standout outing from the forward but even then, one of his 12 touches was the well-timed assist to Semenyo’s goal. Such is the mark of a talented and experienced player – at the end of his fourth season with City, Haaland is familiar with the cadence and demands of winning, even without being the star of the show, his outing at Wembley on Saturday a perfect embodiment of City’s season.
Pep Guardiola’s side have completed a domestic double in a season that was essentially designed as a rebuild, all while a sense of malaise seems to permeate for City roughly 10 days after a surprise draw at Everton that will likely see them fall short of winning the title. The bar is exceedingly high for Guardiola’s City, even if it is their own doing but as they collected their 16th major trophy in the coach’s 10th season with the club, it is hard to call them abject failures. There are ebbs and flows in the life cycle of dynastic teams but even this lackluster City are still keeping the legacy of dominance alive, doing so longer than many may have expected of them – or any team, for that matter.
