This is clearly not the end of an era at Manchester City, because coach Pep Guardiola's team continues to win.
Instead of talking about the end, Guardiola has just added another title to his massive collection. The third FA Cup title in Guardiola's career helps Man City complete the domestic double this season and even still has a chance to aim for the domestic treble for the second time.
Although Man City needs many changes in the Premier League title race, the 1-0 victory over Chelsea shows that they still maintain significant pressure on their opponents. If this final is not Man City's top performance, it is still decided by a rare classy moment.
Antoine Semenyo's backheel deserves to be considered one of the most beautiful goals in FA Cup history. Semenyo continues to prove the value of the £62.5 million contract signed by The Citizens in January. That goal is even more meaningful if you look back at his journey - from his FA Cup debut in Newport County against Metropolitan Police FC in 2018 to the moment of brilliance at Wembley.
Besides professional factors, this year's FA Cup final also takes place in a special atmosphere. The fact that this is the 10th consecutive final with the participation of Man City or Chelsea, along with investigations related to the two clubs, makes the pre-match atmosphere somewhat heavy.
Chelsea has admitted some violations and is awaiting handling results from the FA, while Man City continues to assert their innocence. However, the match is still exciting and Chelsea has every reason to regret it.
Chelsea created many difficulties and had many controversial situations related to VAR, especially the collision between Abdukodir Khusanov and Jorrel Hato in the penalty area. Interim coach Calum McFarlane even said that it should have been a penalty.
However, Chelsea continues to show instability in the volatile period under BlueCo. McFarlane avoided talking about the future of the team when asked about the risk of not winning a European cup ticket and only replied briefly: "You are asking a caretaker coach".
The defeat at Wembley further increased doubts about Chelsea's development strategy in recent times. However, the London team has completed the appointment of Xabi Alonso as the new head coach - a move considered an important turning point for the club's future orientation.
Meanwhile, Guardiola does not seem to intend to leave Man City. There was a time when Alonso was considered a potential candidate to replace the Spanish strategist at the Etihad, but at this time all signs show that Guardiola will continue to be attached to Man City for at least another season.
After the match, Guardiola avoided answering directly about the future but did not hide his emotion when talking about the possibility of parting ways with Bernardo Silva and John Stones. This duo just won their 15th major title with Guardiola in Man City colors and may leave the club at the end of the season.
Usually, such departures will make people worried about the team's downward cycle. However, Man City's operation shows that they are ready for the transition process. The current squad is still deep enough and quality enough to compete for major titles in the future, despite the instability related to the Premier League investigation.
