Arsenal vs Manchester United Review
Joshua Zirkzee netted the decisive penalty for 10-man Manchester United against Arsenal after their intense FA Cup third round match ended in a 1-1 draw following extra time at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. After a lackluster first half, United took the lead in the 52nd minute with a curling shot from Bruno Fernandes, set up by a fantastic run from Alejandro Garnacho. However, the match shifted dramatically just 10 minutes later when United’s Diogo Dalot, who had already been cautioned for a reckless challenge on Myles Lewis-Skelly, received a second yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Mikel Merino.
Two minutes later, Bayindir’s unsuccessful punch landed at Gabriel’s feet, and his shot took a nasty deflection off Matthijs de Ligt, giving the Gunners the lead in the match. Arsenal had a chance to seal the comeback when they were given a dubious penalty after Havertz fell with slight contact from Harry Maguire. However, Bayindir made an excellent save against Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, and the Gunners missed several opportunities to secure a winning goal.
In the second half of extra time, United nearly secured an unexpected victory when David Raya managed to deflect Zirkzee’s shot away from the goal. However, the defending champions, United, who required penalties to win against Coventry City in last year’s semi-final on their way to claiming their 14th FA Cup title, triumphed in the shootout. Kai Havertz from Arsenal was the only one of the initial four penalty takers to fail, thwarted by an excellent save from Altay Bayindir. Subsequently, Zirkzee, who faced boos after a loss to Newcastle last month, took the decisive penalty to secure a 5-3 victory in the shootout.
This win comes after a challenging beginning for new manager Ruben Amorim, who experienced his first loss as United’s coach against Arsenal in the league last month, but Sunday’s success indicates that United might be on the upswing. In the fourth round, United will host Leicester City, who are coached by former United interim boss, Ruud van Nistelrooy.