However, it was Antoine Semenyo who stole the spotlight. The 25-year-old won and then converted a 23rd-minute penalty after luring James Tarkowski into an ill-advised lunge.
What made headlines, though, was the forward’s unorthodox approach to the spot-kick. While most players hesitate or stutter in their run-up after the referee’s whistle, Semenyo took a different route—he didn’t take a run-up at all. Instead, he turned immediately and powered a shot past Jordan Pickford, who dived the right way but stood no chance.
In an interview with Bleacher Report, the Ghanaian forward shared the story behind his unique technique, crediting teammate David Brooks for inspiring him to try it during training.
“Because it’s the FA Cup, if you draw, it goes to penalties, so we practised them. David Brooks was like, ‘You should try this,’ and I was like, ‘You know what, let’s see.’ I’d done it a couple of times in training and didn’t miss—top corner. So I thought, ‘If I get a penalty in a game, I’m going to do it.’ And I just did it,” he explained.
Asked why Brooks encouraged him to take on the challenge, Semenyo revealed that his powerful shot played a key role.
“It was just because I’ve got so much power. The ball is really light as well, so if you hit it well, the keeper isn’t getting there, even if he guesses the right direction,” he added.
When questioned about whether this would become his signature penalty-taking style, Semenyo said:
“Not really—just a few of my friends asked me, ‘Antz, what were you thinking?’ And I just told them, ‘I wasn’t thinking.’ That’s the point—that’s why it went in. If it goes in, it doesn’t matter how the run-up looks. That’s my thing now. It catches keepers off guard, so why not?”
Semenyo has been in blistering form this season, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 26 Premier League appearances.
He also played 106 minutes as Bournemouth defeated Wolves 5-4 on penalties to advance to the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
Watch the full interview of Semenyo nelow:
