Haaland's blind spot 

Since joining Manchester City in 2022, Haaland has ripped up the record books when it comes to his goalscoring feats. 

He's scored 161 goals in 196 games for the club in just four seasons and is odds-on to collect a third Premier League Golden Boot in 2025-26 - something only four players have ever done in the league's history. 

Yet, among that ridiculous tally of goals he's scored in sky blue, the one thing that remains missing from the long list of achievements is a goal and a standout performance in a major final. 

Unbelievably, the striking Viking has played in nine major finals for City (if you include Community Shields), six of which have been at Wembley Stadium, and failed to net in every one of them.
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It's not only his goal record, but in what has become a trend during his career in Manchester, Haaland has failed to make an impression in those finals, either. 

Take last year's FA Cup showpiece, for example, where Haaland managed only five completed passes and three shots on goal as Crystal Palace recorded an historic victory over City. 

Eyebrows were also raised that the 25-year-old shied away from taking the penalty awarded to Guardiola's side, which was ultimately missed by Omar Mamoush. 

It led to some criticism for Haaland, who once again failed to deliver when City needed him most and a trophy was on the line. 

Be the big man 

Of course, City haven't always needed Haaland in cup final situations, with memorable winners coming from Nico O'Reilly, Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan over the years, meaning that his lack of contribution to the cause was somewhat irrelevant in the end. 

It is also unfair to forget that the forward has more than played his part in getting his team into these positions. His record in the Champions League speaks for itself, while it was his double against Liverpool in the quarter-final that helped City get to the last four at Wembley - where a goal from Haaland was again missing. 

Yet, big players are best remembered for big occasions. Didier Drogba won a Golden Boot at Chelsea and delivered consistently high-scoring seasons, but his career was defined by the performances and goals he produced when cup finals rolled around. 

Not all players have and need that knack, but Haaland has shown he already has it. However, come cup final day, he tends to underperform, and we still await his first goal in a showpiece event.

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Sights on Saturday 

Saturday might very well be the perfect time and setting for the striker. 

Chelsea comes into the game looking to salvage something from another drama-ridden season at Stamford Bridge, but in highly inconsistent form. They've won just once in their last nine games and have not kept a clean sheet since mid-January against Premier League opposition. 

Haaland already has four goals in eight outings against the Blues, and although he hasn't netted in the meetings this season, he's likely to get some opportunities thanks to Chelsea's unsettled defence. 

Ironically, given the form of his fellow attackers in Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki, City are as reliant on Haaland as they have been in recent finals - but maybe this could be the key in unlocking a big-game performance.

Allowed to flourish, without a total burden, could we finally see City's number nine tick that final box that's been missing from his Manchester CV for far too long?

How to watch the Premier League in Canada

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