Distraught Cole Palmer, looming Xabi Alonso and Pep Guardiola bans beer from Manchester City celebrations - FA Cup final storylines

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Following a tense Emirates FA Cup final where Manchester City overcame Chelsea thanks to a stunning Antoine Semenyo winner, TNT Sports brings you the best storylines from Wembley.

Highlights: Sublime Semenyo wins FA Cup for Man City

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Same pose, contrasting emotions for Palmer & Haaland

After Cole Palmer had returned from making the dreaded trip up the Wembley steps to pick up his FA Cup runners-up medal, Chelsea's No. 10 then sat down on the pitch and watched his former club make their move to lift the trophy.

Palmer just stared into the abyss surrounded by his fellow Chelsea team-mates as Manchester City started the celebrations.

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It would be intriguing to know what was going through Palmer's head at that moment.

Just a year ago, it was Palmer who was the shining light in two finals for Chelsea as they won the UEFA Conference League and followed it up with an outstanding victory over Paris Saint-Germain to lift the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

The 24-year-old also picked up five trophies during his time at the Etihad Stadium but on Saturday, all he could do was ponder what has happened to Chelsea this season.

A distraught Cole Palmer following Chelsea's defeat in the 2026 FA Cup final at Wembley

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Palmer was visibly distraught after he and the rest of Chelsea's attack failed to lay a glove on City during the showdown at Wembley.

Nobody could fault his effort as the England international put in a solid shift defensively and helped out Reece James throughout the final to thwart the threat of Jeremy Doku.

However, he was just unable to impose himself on the game in the same way he did in those finals last season and spent more time showing his frustrations towards the referee than posing any type of danger in City's box.

With Palmer recently telling TNT Sports that he would need to reconsider his future at Stamford Bridge if they failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea will have a job on their hands to convince their young superstar that the club is heading in the right direction.

As Palmer and his Chelsea team-mates made their way back into the dressing room, it was time for City to lap up the celebrations and star striker Erling Haaland was definitely soaking everything in.

Striking a similar pose to Palmer, Haaland sat by himself in the penalty area leaning back on the post with the City fans in the background and couldn't stop smiling.

Although the Norwegian striker continued his barely believable record of failing to score at Wembley since moving to City four years ago, he walks away with his third winners' medal at the national stadium.

Haaland's best chance came just before half-time when he saw his effort blocked by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and in the dying embers of the game, he was furious with Rayan Cherki for not playing the ball into his path when he was through on goal.

That frustration quickly turned into jubilation for Haaland and when looking at him basking in his side's latest Wembley triumph, there is no chance he was thinking about his goal drought at that moment.

Alonso won't lift Chelsea blues in the present

Xabi Alonso's name has been looming over Chelsea for several weeks, and although he was not in attendance at Wembley, he was certainly the talking point before and after the Emirates FA Cup final.

Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane decided to deploy Alonso's favoured 3-4-2-1 formation in their previous match against Liverpool, where they earned a deserved point.

He did the same again in the final and although Chelsea defended better as a unit, they failed to click on the attacking end and barely tested Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford.

If you were following the TNT Sports live blog, you would've noticed that Chelsea's brightest spark in the first half was former defender Marcel Desailly, who was showing passion in the stands.

It was after the full-time whistle was blown that Alonso's name crept up yet again as numerous outlets reported that Chelsea had struck a deal for the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder to join the club on a four-year deal next season. It was news confirmed by Chelsea on Sunday morning.

Chelsea legend Joe Cole delivered a damning verdict on the timing of the reports and told TNT Sports: "The fact that it's dropped now, just after losing an FA Cup final, stinks of a PR move, which is what I think the club need to get away from.

"Journalists release news like that when they're in the know. It's like, 'we just lost but don't worry, we've got Xabi Alonso coming in'. This is what the club have got to try to get away from.

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"They've got to get back to basics. What is the culture of the club? It feels all over the place at the moment. Fans just want honesty."

Even though Chelsea supporters will be encouraged that the club can still attract one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the game, the news cannot hide the cold hard reality.

Incredibly, Chelsea have now lost SEVEN domestic finals in a row at Wembley and their fourth FA Cup final on the bounce.

As McFarlane said following the game: "Sometimes football can be cruel."

They sit ninth in the Premier League table and could easily miss out on European football for next season.

It has been a campaign to forget for the Blues and things could get much worse for the players if they fail to put in a performance against relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.

The Alonso appointment will give Chelsea fans some hope for the future, but this result and their performances this season show that the present is not a pretty picture.

Guardiola bans beer as attention turns to title race

When asked in his post-match press conference whether he would allow his players to celebrate their FA Cup victory, Pep Guardiola was emphatic with his response.

"Not even one beer," Guardiola said.

He then continued by saying "we don’t have time", as the City boss turned his attention to Tuesday's league clash away at Bournemouth.

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Although the Spaniard appeared to be much more subdued on Saturday compared to his joyous celebrations after the Carabao Cup triumph in March, these words show that he still has one more prize on his mind.

Match winner Semenyo told TNT Sports after the game that Guardiola was a "madman" and his relentlessness was on show throughout the final.

The City manager amazingly became even more agitated after his side took the lead, and he could be heard shouting on the touchline "go forward" to his players in the 87th minute as he appeared annoyed at their lack of attacking intent.

This is the reason why he collected his 20th trophy at City on Saturday afternoon, and he will have Arsenal in his sights once again as the title race heats up in the last two matches of the season.

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Guardiola knows that Arsenal control their own destiny and two wins for the Gunners - against Burnley and Crystal Palace - will seal a first league title since 2004, but City are ready to pounce on any mistake to regain the Premier League crown.

City, who face Bournemouth and Aston Villa, will be hopeful of a similar ending to the one that took place north of the border on Saturday as Hearts - who spent the vast majority of the season leading the title race in Scotland - were pipped by Celtic on the final day.

If Arsenal slip up and City capitalise on what would be a dramatic ending to the league campaign, nobody would be able to stop Guardiola himself from drinking a beer or two.

Semenyo winner is one of Wembley's greatest

On the day that Steven Gerrard's stunner against West Ham in 2006 was voted the greatest FA Cup final goal by the fans, next year's poll will have a new entry following Semenyo's audacious flick.

"Semenyo finishes from outside the line of the front post under pressure, so for me, it's a one in 100 goal, it's a really low xG goal."

These were the words of Chelsea interim boss McFarlane after the match where he laid no blame on his Chelsea players for the match-winning goal, and he is spot on.

In the press box, there were gasps and shouts of 'Oh my God' when a section of the media watched the goal back on the TV screens after the game.

It was a goal worthy of winning any final.

‘Incredible goal!’ - Gerrard and Cole unpack Semenyo’s ‘saucy’ Emirates FA Cup final winner

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"Yeah, I just tried to improvise the best I could. And yeah, I went in the bottom corner, so I can't even complain," Semenyo told TNT Sports when asked about his goal.

"I've done it a couple of times in training. So, I mean, it was behind me, so that was the only thing I could do. And I'm lucky I got the connection, and yeah, I went in the bottom corner."

Despite a stunning start to his career at the club after joining from Bournemouth in January, Semenyo has recently struggled to hit the heights in recent matches, and his actions even drew a few groans from City supporters at Wembley.

Semenyo started the game with a wild attempt from a free-kick before his shot from the edge of the area sailed wide for a throw in the first half.

He almost opened the scoring with a close-range header which sailed over the bar, but saved his best attempt for the 72nd minute when he showed superb skill to steer Haaland's low cross into the far corner.

He has now reached the 20-goal mark in all competitions for City and Bournemouth and Guardiola will need his forward to continue to deliver the goods to keep their dreams of a Premier League title alive.

City fans hail new heroes after saluting Silva and Stones

There was a lovely moment just before City players lifted the FA Cup when the stadium camera zoomed in on Bernardo Silva and John Stones donning huge smiles.

The City fans unleashed a huge roar at that moment to salute two of the best players to wear the Sky Blue shirt after they both announced they would be leaving at the end of the season.

With victory on Saturday, Silva and Stones have won a combined FORTY honours with City - 20 apiece - with each trophy coming under the guidance of Guardiola.

The pair will be sorely missed and fondly remembered for their time at the club, but the City fans have already found new heroes in this current squad.

Abdukodir Khusanov and Matheus Nunes are starting to become fan favourites and that was on show at Wembley.

What a turnaround it has been for Khusanov since his shaky introduction to the Premier League when he made a costly error against Saturday's same opponents, Chelsea, last season.

The Ukrainian defender was hooked just after half-time that evening, but that thought never even crossed Guardiola's mind on Saturday with the centre-back delivering a commanding display.

Chelsea fans will argue that he was fortunate not to give away a penalty for challenges on Joao Pedro and Jorrel Hato, but this would only endear him more to the City fanbase.

Every time he made a challenge, the City fans would boom "Khusss" from the stands and the same love was shown to his team-mate Nunes.

Watch: Stones opens up on ‘overwhelming’ and ‘special’ Man City career after FA Cup triumph

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The Portugal international has established himself as City's first-choice right-back despite joining the club from Wolves as a midfielder.

The 27-year-old showed his intent inside the first five minutes when he brushed aside Marc Cucurella with a challenge followed by chants of "Nunes" from the City faithful.

Khusanov and Nunes have now tasted glory in back-to-back Wembley finals this season and although City fans will find it hard to replace Silva and Stones, the new crop of players at the club might enjoy similar success at this rate.

As Guardiola warned in his post-match press conference: "The future is bright. So I know the guys, I know how they feel, you know, the commitment for the club and their profession.

"I'm pretty sure we'll be there. We will be there in the next years."

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