"When Erling Haaland stepped up to the penalty spot, I didn't know which way he would shoot. However, when the one who stepped up was Omar Marmoush, I guessed. At that time, I told myself I would stop him" - Dean Henderson replied after the FA Cup final, a match in which he was honored as a Crystal Palace hero.
The FA Cup final saw a similar scenario to most of the clashes between Man City and mid-table teams. The Citizens pressed from start to finish, shot a lot, even had countless dangerous situations but could not score. Meanwhile, Palace almost needed a single shot in the first half to make their opponents pay the price.
One of Man City's most regrettable situations was Marmoush's penalty foul. Not long after the referee pointed to the penalty spot, Haaland was the one who held the ball up but then he gave it to Marmoush. When asked about this decision of his students, Pep Guardiola did not know the reason.
"For players, in moments like that, sometimes it's just personal feelings. Perhaps at that time the players saw Marmoush ready to shoot.
For me, it was a situation that Marmoush had prepared for quite a while in the box. Sometimes you need to stand outside the box to reduce pressure. Anyway, that was a good moment for Dean Henderson" - Pep shared.
This time Pep was not as angry with Haaland as he was 2 years ago. At that time, in the match against Leeds, Man City led by 2 goals thanks to Ilkay Gundogan. After that, The Citizens received a penalty, Haaland gave it to Gundogan with the hope that the German midfielder would complete his hat-trick. However, Gundogan missed a goal. Pep seemed to immediately scream straight into Haaland's face.
"You have to take it! Those who are given the right to shoot must accept their duties. Even though the score is 2-0, the task is still the task. We must not forget that."
When Haaland was injured, Man City players took turns taking penalty kicks. As for the goal, no one can replace the Norwegian striker. However, since Haaland returned to the match against Southampton, Man City have not scored a single goal in all competitions. After giving a penalty to Marmoush and missing the penalty, Haaland was under even more pressure.
Since turning professional, Haaland has taken 57 penalties and has won 85%. In such brain-wearing moments, a person authorized to do the job, with a history of doing very well must bravely stand up and take on the task. Maybe the penalty giveover to Marmoush was a strategy, not Haaland's fear, but the result was not as expected. In terms of responsibility, Haaland was at fault for this result.
When commenting on Haaland after that penalty give-up, Wayne Rooney - former Man United striker shared his sympathy.
"Maybe the pressure to take that penalty at Wembley was beyond his ability to bear. Who knows, Haaland is also an ordinary person."
