Three biggest culprits behind Manchester City’s FA Cup failure | OneFootball

Manchester City were beaten by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Eberechi Eze swept home Daniel Munoz’s cross after 16 minutes to secure Palace’s first-ever major trophy.

City were furious that goalkeeper Dean Henderson was not sent off when he handled outside his area.

Henderson then emerged as a hero for the Eagles when he saved Omar Marmoush’s penalty nine minutes before half-time.

City pushed for an equaliser in the second half but couldn’t find a way past Palace’s resolute defence.

Here’s a look at the three biggest culprits for their defeat.

Omar Marmoush

Manchester City landed a big opportunity to level the scores when Tyrick Mitchell fouled Bernardo Silva.

Marmoush failed to beat Henderson, who made a fine save. The forward had little impact on the game.

He won 22 percent of his duels and lost possession on seven occasions. Pep Guardiola replaced him with Claudio Echeverri late on.

Erling Braut Haaland

Erling Braut Haaland is not a big game player.

The Norwegian had a minimal impact in the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, and also drew a blank in the FA Cup final against Manchester United last year.

Haaland had the opportunity to change the game for City yesterday, but he passed on penalty duties to Marmoush, whose effort was saved.

Manuel Akanji

Man City were also vulnerable in defence. Ezi beat Manuel Akanji before he struck the decisive goal early in the first half.

Akanji also had a near miss after the break when he didn’t communicate properly with Ruben Dias.

The Swiss defender threatened to score with a header before Eze’s goal, but he registered zero clearances and interceptions. He also lost possession eight times.