Pep Guardiola had one simple answer after Manchester City’s FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace: “They decided.”
That’s what the City boss said when asked why Erling Haaland didn’t step up to take a first-half penalty—a moment that could’ve changed the course of the match. Instead, it was Omar Marmoush who took the spot kick… and missed.
Crystal Palace had already stunned the crowd at Wembley with a brilliant goal from Eberechi Eze, and the pressure was on City to respond. Just before the break, Bernardo Silva was brought down in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Everyone expected Haaland—City’s go-to goal machine—to take it.
But something unexpected happened.
Haaland passed the ball to Marmoush. No one saw it coming. And when the forward stepped up, Palace’s keeper Dean Henderson guessed right and denied him with a stunning save.
After the match, Guardiola kept things calm. “I didn’t talk to them about it,” he said. “They made the call. It was their choice.”
It was a night full of missed chances for City and heroic moments for Palace—especially from Henderson, who stood tall when it mattered most.
The final whistle blew, and Crystal Palace walked away with a historic 1–0 win, while City was left wondering what could’ve been.
