- Joshua Zirkzee was one of the key players for Manchester United as the defending champions eliminated Arsenal from the FA Cup
- Arsenal was unable to overcome a 10-man Manchester United after Diogo Dalot was dismissed, resulting in the match going into extra playoff shootouts.
- Zirkzee produced a stunning skill in normal time, leaving Arsenal's William Saliba behind on the Emirates Stadium pitch
Joshua Zirkzee scored the decisive penalty as Manchester United knocked Arsenal out of the Emirates FA Cup in stunning fashion.
The current titleholders needed post-match penalties to defeat Gunners at Emirates Stadium, despite playing a large portion of the game with only 10 men.
Diogo Dalot was given his marching orders shortly after the match took the lead after a pace-setting run from Alejandro Garnacho, following Bruno Fernandes' goal for Ruben Amorim's team.
This season, Altay Bayındır has stood out as a hero for his team, making impressive stops and plays that have given them crucial points.
Gabriel Magalhaes equalised soon after Arsenal were given a man advantage.
Manchester United's reserve goalkeeper, Altay Bayındır, was the match's outstanding performer. The Turkish goalkeeper successfully blocked Kai Havertz's shot in the penalty shootout, becoming a star for the second time, having previously thwarted Martin Odegaard's attempt in regular time.
Joshua Zirkzee appears to drop Laurent Saliba from the rebound
Earlier in the game, hawk-eyed fans spotted what Zirkzee did to William Saliba. He nutmegged the Arsenal defender twice, leaving him sliding backwards on the ground.
@Viran said,
"Zirkzee absolutely cooked Saliba."
@ProfessorHamza said,
Saliba was compared to Van Dijk. He was told he was dirty.
There is no text to paraphrase.
Heaping praise in the post-game interview, Amorim commended both Bayindir and Zirkzee
"He believes the penalty save was crucial as it gave his team more energy and confidence to keep pressing, especially when they were down to 10 men. With a team like Arsenal already dominating possession, having an 11th man could have made it extremely difficult to stay in the game. A 10-9 disadvantage, as they were facing, is immense pressure, making it even more vital to earn a draw," Man United's website reported.
The former Sporting Lisbon manager also had kind words for Zirkzee, who was harshly substituted against Newcastle 13 days ago after just 33 minutes.
Joshua was experiencing some difficulties a couple of weeks ago with the fans' support. However, now every time he steps onto the field, he's met with encouragement from the fans. And guess what, he even scored the decisive penalty. Life has its ups and downs. One has to stay grounded, put in the effort every day, and not just for oneself but for the team as well.
Kenyan International Succeeds in the FA Cup Competition
The FA Cup has also highlighted the contribution of Kenyan international Vincent Harper. Harper scored one goal and set up another to lead Exeter City into the fourth round of the competition, a feat the team had not achieved in 44 years.
Harper has not yet made his debut with the Harambee Stars, but the team's former coach, Engin Firat, had selected him for the international friendly against Russia in 2023.
