Joshua Zirkzee scored the winning penalty for 10-man Manchester United against Arsenal. (AP)
Joshua Zirkzee scored the winning penalty for 10-man Manchester United against Arsenal after their hectic FA Cup third round tie finished 1-1 after extra time at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz was the only one of the first four penalty takers to miss, denied by a brilliant stop from Altay Bayindir, before Zirkzee – booed off in a defeat by Newcastle United last month – stepped up to win the shootout 5-3.
After an underwhelming first half, United took the lead in the 52nd minute through Bruno Fernandes’ curling effort from just inside the box after a great run by Alejandro Garnacho.
Cool. Calm. Collected.
Joshua Zirkzee fires @ManUtd into the #EmiratesFACup fourth round! 💥 pic.twitter.com/0pOrgQHmQn
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 12, 2025
The game turned on its head 10 minutes later though, as United’s Diogo Dalot – already booked for a wild challenge on Myles Lewis-Skelly – received a second yellow card for a reckless tackle on Mikel Merino.
Two minutes later, Bayindir’s poor attempted punch fell at the feet of Gabriel, whose shot took a wicked deflection off Matthijs de Ligt and in to put the Gunners in charge of the tie.
Arsenal could have completed the comeback when they were awarded a questionable penalty after Havertz went down under minimal contact from Harry Maguire.
But Bayindir produced a superb save from Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, before the Gunners spurned several chances to score a winner.
United will find out their opponent in the fourth round when the draw is made later on Sunday evening.
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