Frank Christian
On May 17, Manchester City experienced a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final held at Wembley Stadium.
Eberechi Eze scored the only goal, securing Crystal Palace’s historic first major trophy. For Manchester City, this defeat meant they missed their chance to claim any silverware this season.
Despite multiple opportunities to alter the outcome, Manchester City failed to find the back of the net, a pivotal moment being Omar Marmoush’s inability to convert a penalty kick in the first half.
A penalty was awarded to City in the 33rd minute after Tyrick Mitchell fouled Bernardo Silva. Erling Haaland was seen with the ball during the VAR review of the referee’s call.
Once VAR confirmed the penalty, Haaland passed the ball to Marmoush, whose attempt was thwarted by a fantastic save from Crystal Palace’s goalkeeper, Dean Henderson.
Following the defeat, the conversation intensified around the missed penalty, raising questions about Marmoush’s decision to take the kick instead of Haaland.
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Haaland faced criticism for opting not to take the penalty, with Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney sharing his thoughts about the young forward.
Wayne Rooney’s Perspective on Erling Haaland
Diving into Haaland’s career thus far, he has executed 57 penalties, scoring 49 and missing eight. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old, who is typically City’s designated penalty taker, has misfired on three out of seven attempts this season.
Many attribute Haaland’s recent inconsistency to Marmoush stepping up for the penalty, particularly since this was Marmoush’s first spot-kick for City.
Rooney suggested that ‘the pressure of taking a penalty at Wembley might have been overwhelming’ for Haaland.
In contrast to celebrated players Lionel Messi and his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney pointed out that they would never have ‘given the ball away’ like Haaland did. He noted (comments via GOAL) that this mentality distinguishes them from Haaland and others like Kylian Mbappe.
“Erling Haaland is an exceptional forward, but when you compare him to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, there’s no way they would have handed that ball off. That’s what sets those two apart from players like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe; they are driven and want to score every game,” he commented.
“When he misses opportunities, it’s evident that it impacts him. Maybe the thought of a penalty kick at Wembley was just too daunting for him. After all, he is just a human,” Rooney added.
Haaland’s team will resume Premier League play on May 20 against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City Updates and Related Information
- Kevin De Bruyne expresses his views on Manchester City’s Club World Cup decision
- A rundown of Pep Guardiola’s titles as a manager with Manchester City, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich
- Final score recap: Crystal Palace upsets Manchester City to secure the FA Cup, thanks to Eze and Henderson’s remarkable performances
