Man City afternoon of regrets in the FA Cup final started before kick-off

Manchester City's second successive FA Cup final defeat wasn't sealed with a kiss, but the smacker that Erling Haaland planted on the ball as he handed it over for their first-half penalty was the moment you got the feeling that this wasn't going to be their day.

Haaland surely didn't abdicate himself of penalty duties on the biggest stage of all, but the change summed up an afternoon of confusion in the City ranks. From the team selection to the substitutions to the penalty taker, not a lot of it made sense.

It's a quirk of Haaland's City career that he has never scored in a semi-final or final for the club, but that's all it is. A quirk. A record of 120 goals in 140 games isn't the resume of a player not suited to the big occasion.

He's missed three penalties this season as well, scoring four, but of all the stages to make a change to your spot-kick taker, an FA Cup final didn't feel like a wise choice. Haaland has the confidence and the bravado to put previous misses behind him. He's probably forgotten them the moment the ball has gone dead.

When he kissed the Wembley match ball and handed it to Omar Marmoush, he was also handing over the pressure. Marmoush never looked comfortable as referee Stuart Atwell confirmed the decision, and the delay would have only added to the nerves. Dean Henderson made a good save, but it was a saveable height.

Of course, there is no getting away from the injustice that City will feel. Henderson shouldn't have been on the pitch after clawing away a ball over the top from Haaland when out of his area. It was a clear red card, and only VAR Jarred Gillett couldn't see it.

But had City taken the gilt-edged chance, they would have levelled a final they had dominated early on without reward.