New angle of Haaland’s penalty shows unnoticed reason for his crucial miss
For all the focus on Giorgi Mamardashvili’s brilliance from twelve yards, new footage suggests there may have been another reason Erling Haaland failed to score from the spot at the Etihad.
Moments before striking the ball, the Manchester City forward appeared unaware that it had rolled slightly from where he planted the ball – potentially into a slight divot.
It’s only noticeable on close inspection that the ball moves a few inches as Haaland steps back, meaning his run-up begins with the ball no longer where he thought it was.
While it doesn’t take anything away from our goalkeeper’s heroics, it could help explain why one of the world’s most clinical finishers failed to convert.
Mamardashvili’s penalty save adds to remarkable record
Mamardashvili’s stop down to his left ensured that since the start of the 2023/24 season, no goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues has saved more penalties – six in total.
That number alone tells its own story about how impressive the Georgian is from the spot.
The 25-year-old, who was standing in for Alisson Becker, guessed correctly and got a strong hand to push the shot away.
His teammates swarmed him in celebration, with even Ibou Konate showing visible relief after his earlier mistake had led to the award of the penalty.
The decision to give that spot-kick was controversial enough, with Virgil van Dijk sarcastically applauding the referee in disbelief at the call.
It was another soft VAR intervention that left our players fuming, just as seen when our captain’s equaliser was harshly ruled out for offside interference later in the half.
Liverpool’s fightback halted by fine margins
City ran out 3-0 winners, with Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku on the scoresheet, but things could have been worse without that early save.
Even so, it’s another reminder that under Arne Slot these small details – a blade of grass, a keeper’s fingertip, a referee’s call – continue to decide games at the very highest level.
You can view the video of Haaland’s penalty via X:
— Opta King (@OptaKing) November 10, 2025
You can view Slot’s post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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