Chelsea lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Manchester City, and while fans will be disappointed with the result, it was a solid performance from the Blues.

The 1-0 loss to Manchester City at Wembley fully confirmed that Chelsea have failed to salvage anything from a poor season. In a season where they could’ve easily been Premier League title contenders and built on their success from last season to put up a spirited campaign across all fronts, Chelsea have been underwhelming.

The Blues saw their season take an unexpected turn on the final days of Ezo Maresca as head coach, and things got even worse under former head coach Liam Rosenior, who was at the club briefly.

The FA Cup was their biggest shot at winning a trophy and qualifying for Europe, but they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City thanks to a ridiculous goal from Semenyo. Despite the loss, Chelsea weren’t bad.

Overall, it was a good performance, their best in their last eight games across all competitions.

Narrowly defeated in the FA Cup final. #CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/Bu0DyQnc1z

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 16, 2026

From kickoff, they were underdogs, and Manchester City marshalled them. The Blues barely created any chances, but they were solid defensively and nullified Manchester City.

As the game wore on, Chelsea gradually found their rhythm, especially in the second half. They had a spell where they should’ve scored, especially the chance for Enzo Fernández just after they conceded. They also had a genuine penalty shout, but that fell on deaf ears. , 

In the dying minutes, despite going behind, they still mustered a chance that Liam Delap should’ve buried, but the striker who hasn’t found himself since joining in the summer was once again disappointing.

Sanchez was brilliant in goal and showed why he deserved the number one spot, keeping Chelsea in the game on multiple occasions. Fofana and Colwill were solid at the back, with the latter showing why the Chelsea hierarchy believes he is the main CB in the club’s grand design. 

Hato once again had a brilliant game while Gusto kept Doku quiet, generally. Although Gusto was great defensively, he could’ve been more inspiring on the attacking front.

James seemed to let the game just fly past him while Caicedo and Enzo stuck to their tasks diligently. In attack, Cucurella didn’t see much of the ball, unlike against Liverpool, and he couldn’t really influence the game; the same applies to Joao Pedro. 

Overall, it was a good performance for Chelsea, even though the loss now means they are winless in four consecutive FA Cup finals and their seventh consecutive Wembley final.

Chelsea lose their SEVENTH consecutive Wembley final 💔 pic.twitter.com/tN2yTs0rOt

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 16, 2026