The two Big Six sides clashed at the Emirates in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon. The first half was full, but the match came to life after the interval.
Man Utd punished Gabriel Magalhaes’ mistake as Alejandro Garnacho broke away and set up Bruno Fernandes, who clinically found the net with a superb finish.
Ruben Amorim‘s gameplan until Diogo Dalot was sent off after receiving his second booking with half an hour remaining.
Without Bukayo Saka, Arsenal have been pretty toothless in front of goal and they were frustrated by an organised Man Utd for most of the tie.
However, Dalot’s red card boosted the hosts as Gabriel levelled the tie moments later and Arsenal were awarded a penalty with 20 minutes remaining as Maguire was adjudged to have fouled Havertz.
This penalty was harsh on Man Utd, and this decision would have been overturned had VAR been used. Maguire was visibly fuming as he made a beeline for Havertz, while several other opposing players threw handbags in a throwback flashpoint.
To the delight of Maguire and Man Utd, Altay Bayindir – who produced a remarkable performance to save his side on multiple occasions – made a superb save to deny Martin Odegaard from the penalty spot.
United’s stars put their bodies on the line and showed immense character as they kept out Arsenal, who could not find a winner as the match went to penalties.
Bayindir solidified his Man of the Match status by saving Havertz’s effort, while each of United’s takers scored as Amorim’s side won 5-3 on penalties to advance.
Regarding the penalty incident, a report from The Mirror points out Maguire’s ‘three-word message to Havertz before the brawl’ between the two sides.
‘Harry Maguire took aim at Kai Havertz and said: “You cheating scumbag” after the Arsenal star landed his team a penalty.’
Speaking post-match, Amorim argued that his side “deserved to win” against Arsenal.
“Thankfully the players were there, they fought. Sometimes what we talk about before the match is not tactical or technical, it’s this. We have to compete no matter what, no matter what the situation we competed today,” Amorim said.
“We deserved to win, Arsenal didn’t deserve to lose but we deserved to win. The way we played, the way we fought was really tough since the beginning. We didn’t have the ball too much but we had control without the ball.
“I want to also say thank you to all the fans. It was unbelievable. I did not understand that all that area was our supporters, so it was a good day for us now we have to rest the players, I’m already thinking about the next game they’re really tired.”
0 Comments