Crystal Palace lifted the FA Cup on Saturday at Wembley following a 1-0 victory over Manchester City but many within the game are still questioning why Erling Haaland didn't take the penalty that was missed by team-mate Omar Marmoush
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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: Erling Haaland of Manchester City interacts with match referee Stuart Attwell as Omar Marmoush of Manchester City prepares to take his sides penalty during the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Omar Marmoush grabbed the ball but missed from 12-yards in the FA Cup final
(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Crystal Palace wing-back Daniel Munoz has revealed he told Erling Haaland that Omar Marmoush would miss his penalty during Saturday's FA Cup final. The Egyptian attacker appeared to grab the ball from his Norwegian team-mate before his spot-kick was saved brilliantly by Dean Henderson. Eyebrows have since been raised that Marmoush took the penalty ahead of Haaland, Manchester City's regular taker. Munoz, however, claims the 24-year-old took no issue with relinquishing his responsibilities for his fellow attacker because Marmoush had previously scored eight of his last night penalties.
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The defender told 10 Sports Colombia : “I asked him why he didn’t take the penalty, since he was the team’s top scorer. He told me that his teammate was also a good kicker. So, I told him, ‘If you don’t take the penalty, he’ll miss.’ And he missed.” Munoz provided the assist for Eberechi Eze's first-half winner as Palace marched on to win their first ever major trophy while also earning a golden ticket into next season's Europe League. Speaking after the defeat, City boss Pep Guardiola insisted he had no input on the decision which saw Marmoush take the penalty. The Spaniard said: "I thought he would want to take it but they didn't speak.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: Erling Haaland of Manchester City interacts with Daniel Munoz of Crystal Palace during the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Daniel Munoz spoke to Erling Haaland before the Man City penalty(Image: Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
"That moment for the penalty, it's the feeling and how they feel. They decided Omar was ready to take it. Omar took a lot of time when the ball was stopped, so it put more pressure on him, and Henderson made a good save."
Meanwhile, Palace goalkeeper Henderson claimed he'd have been less confident about keeping Haaland out had the former Borussia Dortmund frontman stepped up to the plate.
Henderson, who was fortunate to avoid a first-half red card after handling outside of his box, said: “To be fair, Haaland might have stepped up, I wasn’t sure which way he’d go. He gave it to Marmoush, I knew which way he was going, I knew I’d save it."
Omar Marmoush
Omar Marmoush took the Man City penalty ahead of Erling Haaland
Wayne Rooney, who was working as a pundit on the match for the BBC, claimed Haaland may have shirked the chance to take the penalty because of the pressure, stating: " Erling Haaland is a world-class forward, but when we are talking about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, there is no way they are giving that ball away. "That is what separates them two players from Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe and these players. They are selfish and they want to score every game. When he misses chances I think you can see it gets to him and it does affect him. Maybe the thought of taking a penalty at Wembley might have been too much for him. You never know, he is a human being." City return to Premier League action on Tuesday evening when they host Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.
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