Worst miss of all time for Haaland
Erling Haaland faced a barrage of mockery online after failing to score an easy goal for Man City in a derby game against Man United. The Man City striker’s blunder left the Etihad Stadium speechless.
What happened with Haaland?
United were leading at half-time at Etihad Stadium, thanks to a brilliant 25-yard goal by Marcus Rashford. Haaland missed a golden opportunity to equalize, after Phil Foden headed the ball to him just inches from the goal line, but he amazingly shot it over the bar in a shocking moment that silenced the home fans.
What the Fans said
Fans have expressed varied opinions on Erling Haaland's performance. @Hmz290 criticized his miss as "the worst of all time," while @TheFergusonWay praised a goal-line clearance by Haaland. Samuel Luckhurst from the Manchester Evening News highlighted United fans taunting Haaland at half-time, chanting, "Haaland, Haaland, how's your dad?" indicating a classic away day atmosphere for Manchester United.
Concerns about Haaland's standing among elite players were raised by @SVCarbaholic, who acknowledged his elite goal-scoring abilities but preferred all-around strikers like R9 and Thierry Henry. @UTDmist expressed strong disapproval, considering Haaland being in the top two for the Ballon d'Or as "pure disrespect for that award" after his crucial miss, describing it as "CRIMINAL."
Haaland redemption came late on
Rashford scored a stunning goal from 25 yards out to put United ahead, with an xG of only 0.03, while Haaland missed a sitter from close range, with an xG of 0.89, showing how easy it was for City’s normally reliable striker.
But Haaland got his revenge in the end. After Foden scored twice to turn the game around for City, the Norwegian took advantage of some sloppy United defending to score in the last minute and make up for his earlier mistake.
The bigger picture for Haaland
Haaland leads the Premier League scoring charts for the 2023-24 season with 18 goals in 23 games for City. The Norwegian star is vital for Pep Guardiola’s team as they aim to win three trophies again like last season, but opposing fans will likely tease him for a long time about his shocking miss against United.
