LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Manchester City won the FA Cup on Saturday, beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final with a deftly finished 72nd-minute goal from Antoine Semenyo to complete an English cup double.
Ghana's Semenyo turned and back-heeled the ball past Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez from an Erling Haaland cross.
The goal sparked what had been a cautious game into life with both sides having chances in the last 20 minutes, Rayan Cherki forcing a fine save from Sanchez and teammate Matheus Nunes hitting the post.
City captain Bernardo Silva, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, described the victory as "very special ... it's really nice to finish this way and maybe we can still have a small dream that we can still fight for the Premier League."
Pep Guardiola's City trail leaders Arsenal by two points in the title race going into the last two games of the season.
"It's just special to me in my last season to give them another trophy," Portugal midfielder Silva said in a pitchside TV interview.
"In the beginning of the second half it was really tough for us and they put us under a lot of pressure and made it very difficult."
It was City's eighth FA Cup triumph and followed victory in the League Cup in March.
But it was a seventh domestic cup final defeat in a row for Chelsea, who had looked to the showpiece match for some relief after a turbulent season and two managerial changes.
Enzo Fernandez, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap all had chances to score for Chelsea in what for long periods was an even, if unexciting, clash.
But the club's hopes of European football next season now look very slim, while their American BlueCo owners search for a new manager to replace interim boss Calum McFarlane, who took over from the sacked Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior lasted less than four months following the new year departure of Enzo Maresca as Chelsea having plunged down the Premier League to ninth place.
(Reporting by Clare Lovell, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)
