Chelsea 0-1 Man City: Pep Guardiola’s side break all-time English football record with FA Cup victory

Manchester City have broken an all-time English football record after edging past Chelsea with a 1-0 win in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Citizens travelled to the capital seeking to avoid losing a third successive FA Cup showpiece after suffering defeat to rivals Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the last two years.

Pep Guardiola’s side became EFL Cup champions in March after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the final, and they were made to work for their FA Cup triumph against a spirited and well-organised Chelsea outfit.

The 145th FA Cup showpiece will not go down as one of the most memorable or classic editions, but Man City found a way to prevail and had Antoine Semenyo to thank for scoring a stunning backheel in the 72nd minute.

The Citizens have beaten Exeter City, Salford City, Newcastle United, Liverpool, Southampton and now Chelsea to get their hands on the prestigious trophy for the eighth time in history, drawing them level with the Blues, Liverpool and Tottenham in joint-third on the all-time winners list.

Man City also won every game en route to EFL Cup glory and have now become the first team in history to win every single match across both the FA Cup (6/6) and EFL Cup (6/6) in a single season.

“City again ole, ole!”

Man City have now won a staggering 20 trophies under Guardiola since his arrival at the club 10 years ago, with Catalan celebrating his third FA Cup victory.

Widely regarded as one of, if not the, greatest manager of the modern era, Guardiola has become the first ever coach to win at least three titles in the English top flight, the European Cup/Champions League (three), English FA Cups (three) and English League Cups (five).

Sharing his thoughts on Guardiola, match-winner Semenyo told TNT Sports: "He's a mad man! We all love him, he's so passionate, you can see it, he wants to win trophies!

“What he's done for the club is amazing, and I'm so grateful to be here, so grateful that he gets to coach me and make me a better player. He's just a top man!"

Reflecting on the game and his goal in a post-match interview with BBC Sport, Semenyo added: "Everything happened so fast to be honest. It came straight to me and I had to improvise myself as quickly as I can.

"I have never competed for trophies like this before, so everything is new to me. Hopefully, we can finish the job off.

"It is a good finish, I can't lie. As a kid I have always wanted to be playing for the top teams - it took a long time to get there, but I am grateful.

"The first thing he [Guardiola] said to me when I came was 'don't change your game'. He knows we control the game a lot, he still wants me to be me, still create a bit of chaos. I don't think there will be much celebrations tonight it is getting ready for Tuesday (against Bournemouth)."

Bernardo Silva: ‘Hopefully the FA Cup is not the last trophy’

Man City captain Bernardo Silva, who will leave the club at the end of the season, is still clinging on hope of winning the Premier League title and completing a domestic treble.

“[Winning the FA Cup is] special,” he told BBC Sport. “I am really happy. Everything about my journey here at Man City was fantastic. Hopefully we can still have a small dream that we can fight for the Premier League.

"Today we are very happy. It is just special for me, being my last season to give them another trophy. Hopefully, not the last one.

"Since I arrived it has been 20 [trophies], so it is not bad. That was a fantastic goal. In a final there are no favourites. The beginning of the second half, they started really strong. They were putting us under constant pressure and it wasn't easy."

On Guardiola and his influence at Man City, Bernardo added: "He changed the way I see football. 80 per cent of my career was with him as my manager. All the things I hoped to achieve were with him. The relationship we have got is very strong with the frustrations and the achievements.

“I care a lot about Man City. That's his decision [on whether he wants to leave]. It is not for me to comment on that. I wish all the best. I enjoy being with him having shared all these moments together."

Man City will now shift their attention to Tuesday’s crucial Premier League clash against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium; they could head into that fixture five points behind leaders Arsenal if they beat Burnley on Monday.