By Swift Sports Crew
Manchester United have pulled off a determined FA Cup victory after pushing Arsenal to penalties at the Emirates Stadium. Joshua Zirkzee scored the winning spotkick after Kai Havertz missed for the Gunners.
The offside flag prevented Gabriel Martinelli from opening the scoring after he found the net in the first period. The Brazilian was left furious after he felt he took advantage of a deflection from Harry Maguire in a half that saw few chances.
Arsenal showed little in the way of threat, and Manchester United served up a lesson early in the second-half. Alejandro Garnacho drove into space towards the Gunners box before laying the ball to Bruno Fernandes who smashed the ball past David Raya.
United went a goal up but were soon a man down as Diogo Dalot put in a rash challenge on the halfway line to earn his second yellow card. Barely a minute later Gabriel Magalhaes’ strike deflected past Altay Bayindir to level the scores.
Tempers flared when a penalty was awarded against Maguire but, after yellow cards were brandished across the sides, Martin Odegaard saw his effort from 12 yards saved by Altay Bayindir. The goalkeeper proved a formidable force as Arsenal racked up chances but extra time was required to separate the sides.
Arsenal knocked on the door but could not find a way past United’s 10 men as the game ended with penalties. Mirror Football takes a look at the talking points to emerge from the game.
It emerged ahead of the game that United’s winger was a target for Antonio Conte and Napoli. The Serie A side are expecting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to depart and want Garnacho to replace their talisman.
The 20-year-old is available for sale but was named in a scarcely rotated United side by Ruben Amorim. While wantaway star Marcus Rashford was once again left out of the squad, Garnacho made his first start in more than a month.
It appears that the Argentina international is still within the thought process of Amorim and he showed flashes of the attacking value he can bring. Garnacho was pivotal in the build up to United’s opening goal with a direct run up the right flank ensuring the side’s counter-attack did not go to waste.
Both Arsenal and Manchester United have been widely linked to new strikers in the transfer window, and neither appears particularly close to signing one. Gabriel Jesus and Rasmus Hojlund started the game looking to prove their value to their respective managers, though the former was sharing his time leading the line with Kai Havertz.
That Jesus was on the right flank and that Hojlund was starved of service perhaps tells its own story in many ways. With the Brazilian being added to Arsenal’s injury list after being stretchered off before the end of the opening 45 minutes, the Gunners are down another attacking player.
Both sides lacked a presence up front, albeit for differing reasons. Given the time they spent in control of the ball it may be Arteta who is screaming for a difference-maker for the rest of the season. Havertz’s 88th-minute miss may prove the most persuasive argument.
One day and three new injuries. Riccardo Calafiori was ruled out with a muscular issue before a ball was kicked, while Jesus was carried from the field with a knee injury after falling from a tangle with Bruno Fernandes.
Perhaps most worryingly of all was when Martin Odegaard started to hobble before half-time. The Denmark international looked ready to leave the field but with scant time remaining until the break he persisted on the pitch and did ultimately emerge once again.
Given how Arsenal handled his absence earlier this season, there will have been a sigh of relief that Bukayo Saka was not joined on the sidelines by his creative team-mate. Odegaard was not able to take advantage and missed a penalty in the second period however.
The players they are already missing appears to be enough for Arteta to contend with for the moment, with Jorginho adding to his concerns after needing to be substituted during extra-time.
There will be no FA Cup trophy to spare Mikel Arteta from any pressure he could face at the end of the season. Last term, Erik ten Hag was afforded an extended stay at Old Trafford after victory in the domestic cup, while the world’s oldest cup competition remains the only major trophy Arteta has earned with the Gunners.
Winning the competition would be unlikely to solidify either manager as a legend, but could have been a useful tool to earn some breathing room. Before this game Arsenal had been eliminated from the FA Cup at the third round stage in two of the last three seasons. Something that had only happened once in the previous 25 campaigns.
The pressure just ramped up for Arteta to land a Premier League title or face questions of another trophyless season. Amorim meanwhile, can target domestic cup glory for a third season in succession for United.
There have been persistent rumours of United wanting a new goalkeeper to challenge Andre Onana, and Sunday saw Altay Bayindir attempt to pour cold water all over them.
The Turkish shotstopper was handed another opportunity in the cup and failed to quash the memories of a difficult match against Tottenham last month. The 26-year-old was not tested in the opening 45 minutes but launched two goal kicks straight out of play in the early stages for a difficult start.
That he was only strong enough to punch the ball instead of catch it in the build up to Gabriel’s equaliser will have ensured speculation of his position remains, and Onana’s No.1 spot is safe. But, a strong hand to guide Odegaard’s penalty away from the bottom corner will be the standout moment Bayindir takes from the game, before he later denied the Dane again.
While United’s last trip to the Emirates only served to highlight the work required by Amorim and his coaching staff, this one saw the Red Devils stick to a gameplan. The 39-year-old head coach has not been able to guide the side to a plethora of wins and has already seen difficult moments but Sunday’s outing will offer some reassurance.
Amorim has now navigated a win over Manchester City and a draw with high-flying Liverpool , in addition to it ending all-square after 90 minutes against Arsenal. The Portuguese coach will want to see the performances reflected in games against teams of lesser standing but will take the shootout win for the moment.
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