Manchester United slapped with huge fine after feisty FA Cup win over Arsenal

• Manchester United are expected to be fined again in the third instance this season, subject to indiscipline matters.
• The Manchester United Red Devils secured a substantial victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup after enduring over an hour with only 10 players on the field.
• Player, Ruben Amorim's, side fielded referee Andy Madley's cautions, with five players receiving warnings.

Manchester United faces a significant fine following their memorable win over Arsenal in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Arsenal was eliminated by United at the Emirates Stadium after a tense penalty shootout following the match.

We will continue to provide in-depth analysis and coverage of this contest, both in the recap and post-match analysis.

The game resulted in a 1-1 tie after a regular and overtime period, as Arsenal were unable to take full advantage of their numerical superiority. Manchester United's Diogo Dalot was handed a second yellow card, leaving his team with 10 players.

Arsenal was put ahead, but Martin Odegaard missed a penalty kick after Gabriel Magalhaes had equalized the score, which had been initially taken by Bruno Fernandes.

Kai Havertz had a day to forget with Germany squandering clear chances in regular time. The German then had his spot-kick saved by Altay Bayindir before Joshua Zirkzee slotted in the final penalty to win the game for Ruben Amorim's team.

Amorim received vindication, silencing his critics with outstanding performances at Anfield and Emirates.

Manchester United will be penalized after their game against Arsenal.

However, the Portuguese manager will have to examine his side's history of indiscipline, with another significant penalty on the horizon.

Manchester United is set to be penalized with a £75,000 (11.7 million) fine for the number of yellow cards they accumulated in North London.

According to TalkSPORT, English clubs face a £25,000 fine each time they accumulate six yellow cards in a game. The fine will also increase for every repeated occurrence throughout the season.

Who were the players given a yellow card?

Manchester United got handed six yellow cards by referee Andy Madley, two of them belonging to Diogo Dalot. Additionally, Harry Maguire, Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo also caught the referee's attention.

What other matches saw Manchester United accumulate six yellow cards?

The first incident took place in their 3-0 home loss to Tottenham and during their 1-1 draw against Chelsea.

Arsenal and Manchester United to face investigation

The Sun reports that the FA will also await Madley's report before investigating the post-penalty melee that occurred after Odegaard's penalty miss in the second half.

Maguire was deemed to have fouled Havertz inside the box. The English player was absolutely furious and was seen addressing the former Chelsea player as a 'cheat'.

Both clubs could face additional penalties for "failing to control" their players, which might incur extra fines.

Zirkzee embarrasses Saliba

In another incident, Zirkzee humiliated William Saliba with a dazzling display of skill during the Manchester United vs Arsenal game.

The Dutch forward faked up field passes twice, which caught the French defender off guard by leaving him exposed on the Emirates turf.

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The teenager leading Scotland into World Cup battle

A relatively small number of individuals have the privilege of leading their country in the World Cup, and a 16-year-old from Dumfries is poised to experience this prestigious distinction soon.

The Scotland Under-19 women's cricket team was led by the skipper, who led the team to the achievement of qualifying for the Malaysia tournament last year.

They will face off against one of the sport's star-studded teams - Australia, as well as Bangladesh and the qualifiers Nepal - in the T20 tournament, which is set to begin this Saturday.

Niamh has had to balance work, studies, and training in order to prepare for the competition.

Despite taking many years of practice, this is a goal she has been striving to accomplish since starting at the local club, St Michael's, when she was around 11 or 12 years old.

I grew up being exposed to cricket because my father used to play it.

I was always present on weekends and times like that.

I thought, let's just give it a shot.

I was quite taken by it and performed well, progressing relatively quickly through the levels.

Duncan, a proud father, has taken Niamh with him to games since she was around three years old.

He remembered how surprised we all were when she, who was 12 years old at the time, performed at a high level with no prior training or coaching.

The international player who coached her found her and helped her develop her overall cricketing skills seriously.

They take great pride in her accomplishments at St Michael's.

I'm the only female at the club right now, which means I've essentially grown up around the men's team.

They are truly delightful; they are genuinely accommodating.

Niamh began by playing club cricket, then transitioned to regional matches, and has progressed to the Scotland U15 team and is now a member of the U19 team.

She was given the captaincy en route to the World Cup.

"I led the qualifying rounds as team captain," she said.

It was a completely new experience for me - I'd never done anything like it before, but the coaches felt I'd be particularly well-suited for it.

The encounter with the Netherlands could hardly have ended in more triumph, with an unbeaten record stretching to three victories.

"We all truly enjoyed it - it was a fresh environment for some of the girls as well, which was a positive change," she said.

Why attending the World Cup is undoubtedly a considerable step, but it will be beneficial for us.

The competition commences on January 18th and continues until February 2nd - but what constitutes winning?

We plan on playing as much cricket as possible during that period, I think.

Simply gaining experience by playing against more challenging opponents to assess our current level of play and identify areas for improvement.

Obviously making it past the group stage would be our ideal outcome, but it's a significant challenge.

The 19-year-old batsman has taken the third position in her national team's lineup recently and considers herself a "very confident player".

Members of her team hail from various locations within Scotland, as well as players born in England, but with Scottish ancestry.

As the World Cup approaches, they have been gathering on a regular basis to prepare in the best way possible and are now ready for the challenge.

Our attitude is always to want to win, which I believe is a very positive thing.

I believe we've definitely put together a very robust team this season.

We've experienced numerous games this summer through training and other activities, but we've all developed and enhanced our skills significantly.

Niamh's father describes the U19s team as a "talented bunch" who will "give 100%" regardless of who they are playing against.

He expressed his joy at witnessing his daughter's growth "through the highs and lows" and enjoying many long winter trips to play across Scotland and England.

We are all extremely proud of everything she has accomplished and I'm confident she proudly wears the thistle on her heart.

It is an experience every athlete wishes to have, representing and leading their country in sports.

"The rigorous effort she and the trainers have invested is unrivaled, cultivating Niamh into a well-rounded individual with superior situational understanding.

We can't even begin to describe how proud we are of the person she's turned out to be - something that brings a smile to the faces of her loved ones.

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5 brilliant players who are simply too good to be playing in Iran

Former Chelsea, Sunderland and Fulham stars are among the exceptionally talented footballers who are clearly more suited to playing at a higher level than in Iran.

The Persian Gulf Pro League is one of the most competitive football leagues in Asia and numerous prominent teams have made a significant impact in the league over the past few decades.

Here are five players who stood out to us as we reviewed the team rosters of every club in the Iranian top league.

Steven N’Zonzi

The French midfield player experienced an intriguing trajectory from a cult hero at Blackburn and Stoke to champion of the Europa League with Sevilla and also a winner of the World Cup in 2018.

Since turning thirty, the holding midfielder has spent time in Italy, Turkey, France, Qatar, and now Iran. He joined Sepahan last summer and became a teammate with another player listed below this one.

Didier Ndong

To this day, Ndong is still Sunderland's record signing. His surname is also a moderately used insult in certain areas of Wearside.

He arrived at the Stadium of Light in 2016 and Black Cats supporters likely remember the Gabon international with limited fondness. Ndong encountered challenges in displaying his top form at Sunderland, and his first season ultimately concluded with relegation.

Prior to his arrival in Iran this summer, the holding midfielder previously played in France, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Playing for Esteghlal alongside Kakuta, he'll undoubtedly be pocketing a sizable salary for not having a fixed schedule of football matches. Some life.

Gael Kakuta

Eden Hazard has described the DR Congo winger as one of the most naturally gifted players he has ever encountered.

“You asked me about talent. Kakuta is number one. I mean, talent. Wow,” Hazard told the Obi One Podcast.

It's clear-cut to say now, but I think he perhaps went a bit too early to Chelsea. He was just 16 when he moved from France to Chelsea. And making that step at 16 is a massive move.

Although he clearly had significant abilities, Kakuta's time at Chelsea never quite took off. Being indirectly to blame for the club facing a transfer ban wasn't a promising situation either.

Although he had some successful moments in France with clubs like Lens and Amiens, after spending his entire career playing in Europe, he relocated to Iran last summer to play for Esteghlal.

The thirty-three-year-old has made thirteen appearances since making the change to this new position, yet he remains with an unbroken record, awaiting a goal.

Lucas Joao

The player, Joao, during his peak was known to cause great concern among Championship defences.

The Luxembourg international scored 74 goals during his stint in England and since 2018, he’s been playing in various Asian leagues.

After brief stints in China and Qatar, the 31-year-old made the move to Iran and joined Persepolis.

At the time of writing, he has made seven appearances for Persepolis but has yet to score his first goal for the club.

Aboubakar Kamara

The notorious former Fulham forward, nicknamed AK.47, has been a beloved cult icon at several teams throughout his career.

His time in England was certainly memorable as he won two promotions from the Championship during his days at Craven Cottage.

He is still young, having only turned 29, and there is still plenty of life ahead of him. Having most recently played in Greece, he made the move to Iran last summer to join Sepahan, who top the league alongside other teams.

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8 England internationals you totally forgot played in Europe: Crouch, Bentley, Hart…

Manchester United's striker Marcus Rashford is reported to be a potential loan transfer target for European clubs, with AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund among the teams interested in acquiring the services of the 27-year-old player.

We're all familiar with the names of Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho, who followed in the footsteps of stars like David Beckham, Chris Waddle, and Kevin Keegan by achieving significant success in Europe during their careers.

What about the England internationals who made less prominent overseas moves? Here are eight Englishmen who had stints abroad that largely evaded the spotlight.

Joe Hart

This news story got a lot of attention back then, but it's beginning to feel like it was all just a dream.

After falling out of favor at Manchester City due to Pep Guardiola's emphasis on playing from the back, Hart spent Guardiola's first season at the club without a significant trophy on loan at Torino.

He was still England’s top goalkeeper at that time and started almost every game of the 2016-17 Serie A season, but his reputation suffered after the club's chairman Urbano Cairo made a harsh comment saying “we didn’t expect so many mistakes from an England international”. Ouch.

He subsequently returned to England's shores on a loan deal with West Ham before joining Burnley permanently in 2018.

Micah Richards

To be fair, you might remember Richards at Fiorentina because he often brings it up in his post-playing career commentary.

During his time in Florence, the booming-voiced right-back developed a close bond with Mohamed Salah and was part of an eclectic team that also included Josip Ilicic, Alberto Aquilani, David Pizarro, Juan Cuadrado, Federico Bernardeschi and Joaquin.

Vincenzo Montella's team, in fact, finished fourth during Richards' 2014-15 loan spell and reached the semifinals of the Coppa Italia and the Europa League. However, Richards became somewhat of a sparing player, making just 14 starts overall.

Teddy Sheringham

Sheringham is the quintessential English football experience. 1980s Millwall. Two remarkable periods with Tottenham Hotspur. A crucial role in Manchester United's successful treble of 1998-99 and notable spells with Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth and West Ham.

Among all the other things, however, he gained experience for a season with the Swedish team Djurgardens IF on loan from Millwall before making his England debut.

He scored 13 goals in 21 appearances in the Swedish second division, helping the club earn promotion to the top flight in 1985. He then returned to Millwall, continued to perform well, and established himself as a consistent part of the team from then on.

Lee Sharpe

Sharpe's narrative has become a familiar one. A profoundly skilled player at Torquay United, a promising transfer to Manchester United prior to a decline at Leeds United.

Did you know the winger had two absolutely unremarkable spells outside of their home country?

The first was after he'd fallen out of favour at Elland Road, where David O'Leary loaned him to Sampdoria during the 1998-99 season. However, he only made a handful of appearances under David Platt before O'Leary replaced him with a young Luciano Spalletti by the end of the year. He finished the unsuccessful season with just three appearances in Sampdoria's relegation battle.

Later, he spent a brief period with Icelandic club Grindavik, announcing his retirement at the age of 32. The following year, in 2004, he exited retirement for a similarly short term at non-league team Garforth Town.

Peter Crouch

The six-foot-seven striker played for 11 teams in England, rising from his amateur start at a lesser-known club, Dulwich Hamlet, to starting in a Champions League final for Liverpool. A truly remarkable career journey.

After his loan stint at Dulwich, Tottenham sent a 19-year-old Crouch to IFK Hassleholm, who were playing in the Swedish third-tier division at that time. He scored three goals in eight appearances for the club before his parent club transferred him to Queens Park Rangers.

We have listed six of his clubs, so there should be no excuses for not getting a perfect score on our Crouchy quiz.

Ryan Shawcross

English international? Ryan Shawcross.

spectacular long-range bicycle kick.

To gain experience with the Belgian club.

In addition to Eriksson's squad, other notable players including Danny Simpson, Jonny Evans, Fraizer Campbell, Darron Gibson, and Ritchie De Laet trained at Busraustadion during that year.

Ryan Mason

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His early days with Spurs saw him temporarily transferred on at least three occasions to Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Swindon Town and Yeovil Town.

Buried amid the traditional rites of passage of playing in the Football League was a single spell with French side Lorient. At the time, the player was 21 years old, however, he made no appearances for the first team in the Ligue 1 league championship, opting instead to continue his development by playing in several games for their reserve team.

David Bentley

It's surprising, but Bentley is less than a year older than his former Tottenham teammate Luka Modric.

As Modric continues to excel professionally at Real Madrid, Bentley, by contrast, stopped playing over ten years ago at the age of 29. He decided to end his career, saying that he had lost his passion for football.

To be fair, we can understand why it happened given the way his career fizzled out with a series of unremarkable loans away from Tottenham. Spells at Birmingham City, West Ham, and a return to Blackburn Rovers failed to rekindle his spark.

Among those was a half a season with FC Rostov, where he became the first Englishman to play in the Russian Premier League. He made eight appearances for the club but was unable to score any goals or provide assists, and his time in the port city ended prematurely due to an ankle injury.

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6 forgotten players who fell off the footballing map after moving to Turkey

The Turkish Super Lig is renowned for its history of bringing in well-known names from the top European leagues, with Victor Osimhen, Edin Dzeko and Ciro Immobile illuminating the competition in the 2024-25 season.

But what about the footballers who venture to Turkey and suddenly disappear from the spotlight? The lists of former stars from top clubs such as Tottenham, Liverpool, and Arsenal, who have experienced a decline in their careers after signing with top-flight Turkish Super Lig clubs, are long.

Here are six players who have gone completely under the radar since they signed with Turkish Super League clubs.

Dele Alli

We have nothing but admiration for Dele after his refreshingly honest confessions about his personal challenges.

We'd love to see him achieve his goal of being part of England's 2026 World Cup team, though it appears increasingly unlikely, given his lack of club affiliation with each passing month.

Dele Alli's problems began with his declining form at Tottenham and a lackluster stint at Everton to revitalize his career, but a dismal loan season at Besiktas in 2022-23, marked by vocal disapproval from fans and harsh criticism from the club president, clearly took a toll on him.

It's nearly two years since the 28-year-old last appeared in any professional game.

Jonjo Shelvey

Shelvey has had a decade of experience playing for prominent clubs, including Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest, but never a Yorkshire club, until joining Eyupspor.

The 32-year-old's professional life had already shown signs of stagnation prior to his trip to Turkey, as he had lost favor at Newcastle United after a significant shakeup of the midfield following the team's ownership change.

The intended outcome failed to materialize.

Shelvey dropped out of the mainstream football spotlight in September 2023 when he transferred on a free contract to Caykur Rizespor in the Super Lig. He actually played consistently for the team during a forgettable season, but then left for Eyupspor at the end of that season.

The newly-promoted team, led by coach Arda Turan, is currently experiencing great success in the Super Lig. They're fourth in the table as of now, but Shelvey had difficulty finding opportunities to play and was recently let go by the club.

Burnley, which is currently fighting for promotion, is reportedly eyeing a talent who may still have a resurgence left in him.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

The Gunners' all-time highest transfer fee received. It's a quite remarkable figure, isn't it?

Oxlade-Chamberlain looked well worth the money in his early days with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, rubbing extra salt into the Gunners' wounds by solidifying their usual spot within the top four.

Injuries gradually diminished his impact, but he still managed 30 appearances in the Reds' Premier League-winning campaign in 2019-20.

By the time of his 2023 departure, however, he had largely become a secondary figure. Nineteen years old when he was released, the midfielder still had time ahead of him to restart his career elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Oxlade-Chamberlain has not so far been able to reach the same level at Besiktas.

He began less than a third of their matches last season, as they finished a distant sixth, 46 points behind their Istanbul rivals Galatasaray, and has only one Super Lig start under his belt so far in 2024-25.

Andros Townsend

The entire complexion of English international players from a bygone era sees Townsend transferring his allegiance to Turkey only quite recently.

Like his fellow teammates, it is likely that a declining career was either the reason for or a sign of his transfer to Antalyaspor.

Actually, he handled the setback well and played a key role for an enterprising Luton Town team last season, despite a devastating ACL injury cutting short his stint at Everton.

We can only applaud Townsend for taking on a new challenge in a foreign setting at the age of 33, especially considering he must have received offers from clubs in the First Division at that time, particularly after Antalyaspor's transfer issue led to a temporary halt in his career.

Bruma

Fairly speaking, having moved to Turkey the first time around did not particularly harm Bruma's career.

When he was a youngster, Bruma joined Galatasaray from Sporting in 2013 for a €10 million fee.

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The Portuguese winger returned to the Super Lig and his arch-rivals Fenerbahce's squad, but unfortunately, his stay at the club dipped slightly. He made only five appearances during his loan stint with Galatasaray in the 2022-23 season and zero appearances after that, when he joined the club permanently.

To be fair, he's performed admirably since then back at Braga, winning the Portuguese League Cup last season and reaching double figures in consecutive seasons.

But unless you're an avid follower of top-level Portuguese football, it's likely you'll have entirely forgotten about this former wonderkid.

Adem Ljajic

The Serbian youngster was famously pictured holding a Manchester United shirt alongside then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009 after signing a contract with the club. However, his transfer to Old Trafford from Partizan was ultimately blocked due to visa requirements.

The midfielder recovered from that setback to have a respectable career in the 2010s - a reliable player for Serbia's national team who represented them at the 2018 World Cup.

He scored 45 goals and made over 200 appearances in the Serie A for Fiorentina, Roma, Inter, and Torino, during which time, he was often rumored to be on the verge of moving to the Premier League.

It's safe to say that he's largely fallen off the radar since signing with Besiktas in 2018. He was instrumental in their Super Lig triumph during the 2020-21 season, which was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has since joined Fatih Karagumruk.

Perkez Liacic, who still only 33 years old, has not been selected for Serbia in four years and has been playing for his home team, FK Novi Pazar, in recent seasons.

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Joshua Zirkzee embarrasses Arsenal star as Manchester United win FA Cup clash

• 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.

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