Manchester City striker Elling Holland’s father has been mocked by rival fans after his silence prevented his team from losing.
“When City fans spotted Ellingholan’s father on his way back from Wembley Stadium, they didn’t leave him alone,” global media outlet Sports Bible reported on Saturday (June 26).
City lost the 2023-24 English FA Cup final against Manchester United 1-2 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on May 25.
Leading up to the match, many were predicting a City victory. City defeated United in the FA Cup final last season to win the title, and while United finished eighth in the Premier League this season, City returned to the top of the table and won their fourth consecutive title.
But when the lid was lifted, the game went the other way. City opened the scoring in the 30th minute when a miscommunication between goalkeeper Stephan Ortega and Josuco Gvardiol allowed Alejandro Garnacho to score.
After conceding a goal they shouldn’t have, City found themselves in trouble when Kobi Mainu added a second in the 39th minute. They pushed forward and pulled a goal back in the 42nd minute through Jeremy Dookoo, but were unable to find an equalizer and lost the FA Cup trophy to United.
City were not efficient on the day. They dominated possession, 74 to 26, and outshot United 19 to 11, but it didn’t pay off.
Much of the criticism has been directed at City’s main man, Elling Holland. Holland played the full 90 minutes in a 4-2-3-1 formation and left the field with only two shots on goal and no presence. Neither shot was on target.
He also had too few ball touches (21), which is the fate of a number one. He also only won one aerial contest in three attempts. According to soccer stats site Sofascore, Holland had a rating of 6.8 on the day. He was tied for fifth in City’s starting 11 with Bernardo Silva and Stefan Ortega.
After City’s loss, the spotlight was on Holland once again. ESPN noted that in nine tournament semifinals and finals for City, Holland has zero goals and zero assists. In other words, he’s not a presence in big games.
In the 2022-2023 season, Holland played in six tournament semifinals and finals. In addition to the Community Shield (Supercup) against Liverpool the 먹튀검증 season before, he played in the UEFA Champions League, including the first leg of the semifinals against Real Madrid and the final against Inter Milan. In the FA Cup, he played in the semifinals against second-tier side Sheffield United and the final against Manchester United.
In the 2023-2024 season, he played in the Community Shield (Super Cup) against Arsenal the season before, the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, and this FA Cup final against Manchester United. But in all, he left the field without a goal or an assist in nine games.
Meanwhile, while Holland was once again silent in the final, his father, Alfie Holland, was mocked by United fans.
According to the Sports Bible, Alfie Holan traveled to Wembley Stadium to watch his son play and then took the train home. That’s when United fans on the train recognized him.
In a video posted on social media, some of the United fans were singing the club’s legendary midfielder Roy Keane chant.
Alpaye, who played for Man City during his playing days, was hit in the knee by Roy Keane during a match against United in 2001 and had to undergo eight months of rehabilitation before retiring from the game in 2003 at the early age of 31. At the time, Keane was fined £5,000 ($8.7 million) and suspended for three games for the dangerous tackle.
Alpinge smiled bitterly and shook his head at the behavior of United fans chanting for Keane, who had injured him in the past.
Alpingue’s bad blood with Keane extends to his son, Elling Holland. “He’s almost like a Ligue 2 (fourth division) player,” Keane said of Holland while commentating on a game in April.
“I think he’s an amazing striker, but his general play is that of a League Two player,” he said, adding, “I don’t expect people to agree with me,” and again pointing out that Holland’s play was sub-par.
“His performance against Real was never good enough,” he said, referring to Holland’s poor showing against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals this season, “His link-up play, the way he lays the ball off, the way he creates chances for his teammates, his ability in front of goal is world class, but everything else he does is Ligue 2.”
“I don’t really care about the guy,” Holland admitted after the Wolverhampton game on May 5, and the FA Cup final hasn’t helped him escape Keane’s “four-booger” criticism.