Chelsea and Manchester City were both favourites for their FA Cup semi-finals. They both got the job done in the end, although Man City in particular gave their supporters a fright. On the face of it, this is a clash between two huge and highly successful sides.
After all, Chelsea are the current FIFA Club World Cup champions. Moreover, they have won the FA Cup eight times. In the last complete decade (the 2010s) alone, they won just about every major piece of silverware going. That includes the Premier League, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, the Champions League, and the Europa League.
Their opponents Man City have won even more trophies in recent times. They collected silverware before Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad. However, since the Catalan took the reins, they have gone into overdrive. Indeed, the former Barcelona boss has already won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the EFL Cup with City. Additionally, he has guided them to Champions League and Club World Cup successes.
So Why the Losers Tag?
Clearly, both of these giant English football teams have won a lot over the years, especially in the 21st century. New owners transformed both clubs, and they now boast 15 FA Cup victories between them. Only two clubs have won the competition more times than Chelsea’s eight.
Why, one might well ask, then, are we billing this as a final between serial losers? Well, much as Chelsea’s tally of eight FA Cups and City’s of seven are impressive, City have lost in the final of the last two FA Cups. Before that, Chelsea contrived to lose four FA Cup finals in just six years!
For clubs with such impressive trophy cabinets, that is a lot of heartbreak in finals. What’s more, it hasn’t been the case that they have always been beaten by a really great side.
Man City Prepare for Fourth Final in a Row
This will be the fourth consecutive FA Cup final for Man City. In over 150 years of FA Cup history, no club had ever made it to four finals in succession. Several had made it to three, but Manchester City, as they so often have under Pep, have set a new benchmark. However, that will count for little if they lose again.
Last term, it was Crystal Palace who upset Guardiola’s men. The Eagles recorded a deserved 1-0 win at Wembley to ensure City endured a season without a trophy. 12 months before that, it was City’s great rivals, Manchester United, who upset them. That defeat denied Pep’s men the double. Given that United finished eighth that term, that also has to go down as a considerable shock.
United’s 2-1 win in 2023/24 was revenge for the result 12 months before that, when it was City that ruled Manchester. At the start of this four-final streak, Pep’s men beat United at Wembley to land their seventh FA Cup. Moreover, that FA Cup win allowed City to match United’s feat of 1999, as they won the treble.
Chelsea Lose Three in a Row
As said, several clubs have made it to three consecutive cup finals over the years. Wanderers were the first, way back in 1875/76, 1876/77, and 1877/78, and they won all three. The most recent club to do so, before Man City, was Chelsea. They, however, suffered a hat-trick of heartbreak, losing three in a row.
They made the final in 2019/20 but lost to Arsenal, as the Gunners claimed their 14th FA Cup 2-1. That was the last time Arsenal won anything, and it remains Mikel Arteta’s only silverware as a manager.
Chelsea made it back to Wembley the following season, and they were firm favourites against Leicester. However, the Foxes upset the odds, winning 1-0 to claim the FA Cup for the first time. Along with their unbelievable league title success, it capped a remarkable era for Leicester. Unfortunately, though, after relegation in 2025/26, they will be playing in the third tier next term, just 11 seasons after their miraculous Premier League title success.
Returning to the Blues, they also made it to the last two of the FA Cup in 2021/22. That is the last time City did not make the final. The west London outfit lost to Liverpool, though, going down via a penalty shootout after the game was 0-0 after extra time.
One out of Two Ain’t Bad
In the three seasons before their miserable three-in-a-row, Chelsea made the showpiece on two further occasions. They missed out in 2018/19, or it would have been six finals in succession for them!
They did actually manage to lift the trophy in 2017/18. Moreover, it was won at the expense of Manchester United, so the fans would have really enjoyed that. The Blues won their eighth, and until now most recent, FA Cup thanks to a 1-0 win, Eden Hazard the scorer.
Just 12 months prior to that, they had lost to Arsenal, and the score was the same 2-1 we would see three seasons later. That defeat would have been tough to take. Supporters must surely be happy to make all these finals. However, if the Blues knew they were in store for three more losses in the big game over the next five years, they would surely have found it hard to believe.
So Who Will Win at Wembley?
Based on these recent defeats, it seems neither club will be heading into the 2025/26 final with all that much belief. Quite how much players read into these sorts of stats and how much they know of recent history is hard to say. Fans, on the other hand, will be acutely aware that their team has hardly found Wembley a charm of late.
Negativity and uncertainty can feed through from the stands, so we might well see a cagey affair when the two clash. In this century, just four out of 26 FA Cup finals have been won by a margin of more than a single goal.
City and Chelsea have never met in an FA Cup final before. Pep’s men recently hammered the Blues 3-0 at the Bridge. However, we predict the final will be far more like the clash at the Etihad back in January. That ended 1-1, and we would not be surprised to see another draw.
The bookmakers make City favourites at 4/9 (to lift the cup). They offer odds of 11/5 on Chelsea triumphing, although they are 7/2 to win in 90 minutes. Who do you think will win the battle of the FA Cup’s biggest (recent) losers?
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