Bypassing the Falklands still left von Spee needing coal and facing pursuit by British battlecruisers. One proposed explanation for the attack is that he hoped to destroy the coaling station before those ships arrived. If that gamble succeeded, the pursuers could reach the islands short of coal and lose the ability to follow him. Once his squadron came within reach of Canopus, however, it was too close to escape the faster British ships.
Notable Point · 53:00-1:05:23
Von Spee's Falklands attack as a desperate coal gamble
Destroying the Falklands coaling station before the British battlecruisers arrived offered a possible way to interrupt their pursuit.