Glenn Murray has relived the moment it seemed Albion must draw level at Wembley.

With a nod to 1983 and Gordon Smith, it wasn’t quite a case of And Murray Must Score.

In fact, the goal attempt has been credited to Shane Duffy by the stats men.

And it wasn’t in the last minute of extra-time although it was at the same end of the pitch.

Murray only had 15 touches of the ball all match.

That was comfortably the fewest of all 22 starters and only three more than late City substitute John Stones.

But it was the touch he DIDN’T get which will be remembered and reflected upon.

Albion’s top scorer looked poised to hook the ball home from a matter of inches after Duffy rose above Ederson’s lightweight challenge to head goalwards from Anthony Knockaert’s corner.

That was when Aymeric Laporte stretched out a leg and toe-ended the ball over the bar from almost on the goal-line.

Murray, who had to live off scraps in attack, praised the Frenchman who denied Albion a route back into the game.

He told The Argus: “It was just unfortunate that the bounce favoured him.

“To be fair, I think he has done well to get it up and over the bar.

“He just managed to beat me to the ball.”

That turned out to the closest Albion came to drawing level.

Would a goal there have been a turning point or just the cue for City to step up a gear?

We will never know but the Seagulls would have been back in with a shout of the upset.

Murray said: “We are disappointed we lost the game but going behind after three minutes and managing to compose ourselves and limit City to very few chances, we did ourselves proud.

“It would have been easy to really go under after conceding so early and get beat by a cricket score.

“But we stuck to our game plan and it just wasn’t to be unfortunately.”

Albion made a purposeful start to the second half.

That period straight after the break was, Pep Guardiola later admitted, the only time he was really concerned.

Murray gave some insight into what went on in the Albion changing room during that interval.

He said: “After going 1-0 down to get in at half-time still at 1-0 after another 43 minutes gave us a bit more impetus to come out and keep doing what we were doing and, if it remained that way, to try to push towards the end to get something out of the game.

“When you play a team like Manchester City, who are regarded as one of the best, if not the best, in England, to limit their attacking play to so few chances, we have got to take that it into our league form and so-called weaker opponents.

“I think we can walk away with our heads held high but it still doesn’t take away from the fact we are disappointed we lost the game.”