One moment in yesterday’s FA Cup final proved to be pivotal for Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City fell to Crystal Palace 1-nil at Wembley yesterday. The loss ensures that City will end the 24/25 without any silverware. There were a host of talking points and key moments to emerge from yesterday’s FA Cup final. The decision from VAR not to send off Dean Henderson in the 23rd minute was one. But perhaps the defining moment came after that incident. It was the decision of Erling Haaland to allow Omar Marmoush to take Manchester City’s first-half penalty. That move didn’t make sense yesterday, and perhaps it was the defining moment in this season’s FA Cup final.

Manchester City needed the lift that an Erling Haaland goal provides.

Bernardo Silva earned Manchester City a penalty in the 34th minute of yesterday’s match. It seemed that Erling Haaland would step up and take the penalty for his team. Typically, Pep Guardiola’s side lifts after Haaland scores. That has been seen time and time again during his time at Manchester City. They could have done with that lift yesterday at Wembley. But for whatever reason, Haaland gave the ball to Omar Marmoush. Marmoush’s penalty was well saved by Dean Henderson. From that moment on, it felt like it wasn’t going to be Manchester City’s day. That’s how it unfolded after that pivotal moment.

Following the game, Erling Haaland cut a forlorn figure. The tweet below from Jack Gaughan shows this. But looking at that one moment from the first half, it was made for Erling Haaland. Scoring goals is his job. That’s what he is paid to do. Inexplicably, he passed up that opportunity. It’s a situation that shouldn’t occur again. Why it occurred remains unclear at this time.

Erling Haaland will learn from yesterday.

The hope is that Erling Haaland learns from the decision he made at Wembley. Although he is arguably the best striker in the world, he is still learning what it takes to be a leader. That stood out yesterday with his decision to give Omar Marmoush the penalty. A leader steps up in his team’s time of need. They don’t pass up that responsibility. Maybe that pivotal moment in yesterday’s FA Cup final could be a learning experience for Erling Haaland. The hope is that it will be.

For me, Erling Haaland’s decision to give Omar Marmoush Manchester City’s first-half penalty was the defining moment of yesterday’s FA Cup final. From that point on, it never felt like Manchester City would win at Wembley. The hope is that it spurs Haaland on to greater heights for the remainder of this season and beyond.