Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra scored a decisive penalty against Oxford United on Sunday.
A reaction to Panenka-gate, or the plan all along? For a while now - ever since Enzo Le Fée inexplicably feathered his tame effort down Caoimhin Kelleher’s grateful gullet last month - we have wondered who would take Sunderland’s next penalty kick.
On Sunday afternoon, when Dennis Cirkin was clumsily tripped just inside the box by an Oxford United defender, we finally got our answer. Habib Diarra stepped up, both literally and figuratively, scoring the goal that would usher Sunderland into the fifth round of the FA Cup for a first time since 2015.
The question now, of course, is what does this mean for the Black Cats’ spot kick duties moving forward? Is Diarra the newly anointed de facto main man? Has Le Fée been permanently ostracised for his moment of meekness against Brentford?
Well, perhaps not. Speaking after the final whistle at the Kassam Stadium over the weekend, Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris seemed to suggest that a little bit of fluidity and rotation was something that both he and his players are perfectly okay with.
He explained: “We like to keep a bit of unpredictability [over who is taking the penalties]! It was decided on the pitch. It is a really question of confidence and who feels they are best placed to do it. Habib is very confident when it comes to taking a penalty. And he did well.
“He was confident he would score, and he did. Enzo was happy with the situation. He was comfortable with the decision for Habib to take the penalty. I have no worries at all about the connection between the lads."
And really, the clues surrounding the flexibility at the heart of Sunderland’s penalty approach were laid out several months ago. Earlier in the season, all the way back in August, Le Fée truly kickstarted his campaign with another spot kick against Brentford. That afternoon, of course, the Frenchman emphatically buried his effort as the Black Cats came from behind to beat the Bees 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.
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But before it was decided that the responsibility was his to assume, there was another on-field conversation, and it was Diarra who ultimately relented - something that Le Fée was keen to acknowledge in a post-match interview.
He said: “I was sure I would score. We had a discussion with Habib because he wanted to take it as well. But I was sure, so he let me shoot and I scored. So, yeah, it's only confidence in the head. If we have another one, I will let Habib shoot because he let me shoot today. So, it's like this.”
And to his credit, Le Fée has kept his word. While Sunderland have had other penalties since - against Bournemouth and then, infamously, Brentford once more - a combination of injury and international duties have ensured that Diarra hasn’t been on the pitch for any of them.
Indeed, Sunday represented the record signing’s first opportunity to have a crack of his own from twelve yards. Does that mean that he will take the next one, or the one after that? Maybe. Maybe not. By Le Bris’ own admission, these things are not set in stone.
But what Diarra’s decisive strike against Oxford did show us is that Sunderland have options, and that those options are willing to communicate, put aside their egos, and settle on a solution that they believe is right for the team in any given moment. Surely, that can only be a good thing.
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