The Miss That Changed Football History

Son's miss against City and the ripple effect that followed

The date is May 14th, 2024. Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur. Two points separate Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings. For many, this was seen as the last chance City had to bottle the title, unless, of course, you believed that they would drop points against West Ham on the final match day (spoiler they didn’t). The narratives coming into this game were insane, some Spurs fans even wanted them to throw the game to prevent their North London Rivals from winning the title. After a rather dull first half, Erling Haaland gave City a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute. Then in the 86th minute after a mistake by City, Son was gifted this chance

This miss (or save by Ortega) doesn’t just alter this singular game, it doesn’t just alter that season but rather affects the fates of many teams and even this season.

The Title Race

Had Son scored the assumption is that the game would have ended in a 1-1 draw (with Haaland not getting and converting a late penalty). This meant that City would have dropped two points. This is the same difference in the standings between the City and Arsenal at the end of last season. However, it is important to note that both clubs had the exact same goal differential meaning a 1-1 draw versus Spurs as opposed to a 2-0 win would have handed Arsenal the title. This would have ended a 21-year league title drought for Arsenal and made them a team to be feared throughout Europe. It would also mean that this arch could have been used :)

Ballon d’Or

Had City not won the league it is entirely possible that Rodri doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or. Excluding Messi and Ronaldo, the last player to not win their respective league and win the Ballon d’Or was Kaka in 2007. Additionally, the loss of the league title would have meant that Rodri went trophy-less at the club level. The last player to go trophy-less a the club level and still win the Ballon d’Or was Ronaldo 2013 where he scored 55 goals during the 2012/13 campaign. Two seasons without a single trophy for Manchester City would have also likely amped up the pressure on Pep Guardiola this season, especially during City’s terrible November and December. It is highly unlikely he would have been sacked, but who knows? If things got bad enough he may have walked away.

Europa League

Son’s miss could have actually cost Spurs their first trophy in 17 years. Last season Tottenham finished two points out of a Champions League spot. Had Spurs drawn or beat City they may have finished in the top four and clinched the UCL. If Spurs had been in the Champions League it may have been Manchester United that won the Europa League. Spur’s win also closed the door on Chelsea’s chance for Europa League qualification. Further still, Aston Villa might have been in the Europa League and therefore not gone on a special Champions League run. Spurs fans might not have known it at the time but Son’s miss was likely the first step in them cementing silverware and ending their long trophy drought.

It’s hard to say exactly how Son’s miss would have altered football today as we know it. This article goes to show that every little thing matters in football. Whether it was Lewandowski’s canceled flight to Blackburn (which caused him to sign for Dortmund), Harry Kewell's snubbing of Manchester United (which caused them to sign Ronaldo), or Bernd Leno’s injury against Brighton in 2020 (which led to Messi winning the World Cup).

Can you think of other famous ripple effect moments in football?