5 hours ago
6
FOR 45 minutes, it was the worst tie of the weekend.
Supporters of these famous old clubs, along with players who have featured for both of these FA Cup giants, must have been shaking their heads in disbelief.
Reuters
ReutersAnd then we had an absolute cracker.
A remarkable, edge-of-your-seat third round scrap which took us back to the days when Arsenal and United, under Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson, were the kings of English football.
We even had a good old-fashioned ruck between Kai Havertz and Manuel Ugarte although Patrick Vieira and Roy Kane would have made mincemeat out of both of them.
In the end, Cup holders – down to 10 men for the last hour after Diogo Dalot’s sending off – somehow won.
The hero was no 2 keeper Altay Bayindir, awful at Spurs in the Carabao Cup but brilliant here.
He saved Martin Odegaard’s penalty in the second half and then stopped Kai Havertz’s spot kick in the shoot-out.
United scored all five of their penalties with Joshua Zirkzee settling the tie.
Seven days after the 2-2 draw at Liverpool, new United manager Rubin Amorim will again be delighted with the way his team – although thankful for some terrible Arsenal finishing – refused to give up.
As for Arsenal this was a bad one.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
The frustration towards Mikel Arteta is growing and the last thing he needs is a north London derby on Wednesday.
Yet really, Arsenal should have won this.
The fact referee Andy Madley did not have the best of games, to put it mildly, added more controversy to a clash which was minus VAR.
Bruno Fernandes gave United the lead and Gabriel Magalhaes, at fault for the goal, then scored the equaliser.
Diogo Dalot was sent off for a second yellow card in the 61st minute and Arsenal were then handed a penalty after ref Madley believed that Harry Maguire had fouled Havetz.
At best, it was a really soft decision.
In the following melee, a fuming Ugarte seemed to headbutt Havertz but that was not seen by the officials so he could be trouble with the FA.
AFP
GettyMartin Odegaard then saw his penalty saved by United keeper Bayindir although his work for the day was far from done.
For the fourth season, Arsenal took the pitch in an all-white kit – with their numbers barely visible – as part of their No More Red initiative which campaigns against knife crime.
Those shirts were camped in the United half and Gabriel Martinelli thought he had put Arsenal in the lead but was miles offside.
Yet United slowly grew into the game and Arsenal keeper David Raya kept out a long-range shot from Kobbie Mainoo and an angled drive from Alejandro Garnacho
United – with some justification – were furious with referee Madley for failing to award a free-kick when Gabriel Jesus caught Fernandes outside the area.
Getty
GettyUnited’s captain Fernandes was so annoyed that he threw his boot – which had come off following the challenge – back onto the ground and was cautioned by Madley.
Jesus injured himself in that challenge and the former Manchester City player was in tears as he left the pitch on a stretcher.
He now joins Bukayo Saka on the sidelines and these injury issues could really now bite manager Mikel Arteta on the backside.
United’s fans booed the introduction of former City winger Raheem Sterling yet those 8000 supporters were celebrating widely seven minutes into the second half when Fernandes guided the ball into the corner from the edge of the area.
It came following a swift counter-attack from Garnacho and the fact defender Gabriel was caught in possession after slipping while heading the ball.
Getty
GettyUnited were reduced to 10 men when Dalot, stupidly, dived in both feet to challenge Mikel Merino and he was always going to get a second yellow.
Worse was to follow for United when keeper Bayindir chose to punch rather than catch Martinelli’s cross and the ball eventually fell for Gabriel and his half-volley deflected into the net off Matthijs De Ligt.
United had every reason to be furious with ref Madley when he awarded a penalty after Havertz’s minimal contact with Maguire.
Ugarte was livid with Havertz and the Uruguayan did seem to drop the nut on the German and now looks likely to be getting a ban as punishment.
Reuters
AlamyUnited keeper Bayindir made a decent save to keep out Odegaard’s penalty and then produced a flying stop to keep out a header from Declan Rice but the England midfielder simply had to score.
Incredibly, that bad miss was not even as awful as Havertz’s in the 88th minute when he somehow lifted the ball over the bar from a couple of yards.
Rice was then denied in injury time by Bayindir when he brilliantly kept out a shot deflected off De Ligt, who then delivered an extraordinary goal-line clearance in extra-time to deny Leandro Trossard.
In the second period of extra-time, Zirkzee’s deflected near-post shot was brilliantly saved by Raya and it went to penalties.
Yet Zirkzee did put the ball in the net to seal the tie in the shoot-out and without doubt, he will not be going anywhere this January.
Bengali (BD) · 
English (US) ·