With Chelsea content to sit deep and Manchester City struggling to find their usual creative spark, the opening half offered little in terms of excitement or clear-cut chances. Erling Haaland saw his goal disallowed after Matheus Nunes was flagged offside in the buildup, and soon after, Haaland’s effort was comfortably saved by Robert Sanchez following a clever pass from Marc Guehi just before the break.
Early in the second half, Antoine Semenyo came close to breaking the deadlock but sent his header over the bar from Nico O’Reilly’s inviting cross. At the opposite end, Rodri showed excellent awareness to clear Moises Caicedo’s header off the line with goalkeeper James Trafford caught out of position.
The tempo lifted midway through the second period, and City finally capitalised. Haaland combined neatly with Bernardo Silva before delivering a precise cross that Semenyo met with a superb flick, guiding the ball past Sanchez and into the far corner. Enzo Fernandez nearly levelled moments later, narrowly volleying over the bar after a long throw caused chaos in the City box.
Matheus Nunes and Rayan Cherki each forced strong saves from Sanchez as City pressed for a second goal to seal the win, but it ultimately wasn’t needed. Pep Guardiola’s side held firm to claim victory, marking the 20th trophy of his tenure at the club.
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