With Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson in the dugout, you were guaranteed box office football, thrilling entertainment and two teams at each other’s throats in the hunt for success when Arsenal played Manchester United.
Just over 20 years ago, it was arguably English football’s greatest rivalry, but over time it has undoubtedly become less important given the on-field battles on both sides.
However, January 12, 2025 could be the day all that changes – the result of a thrilling FA Cup match in which United beat Arsenal on penalties after 120 minutes of play.
Altay Bayindir is the name that will be on everyone’s lips for United fans as he saved a penalty from Martin Odegaard in normal time and made countless other saves before denying Kai Havertz in the shootout.
How the game developed
The turbo-charged atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium was surprisingly rewarded with a modest, uneventful first half, with Gabriel Jesus’ potentially serious knee injury overshadowing the action.
Namesake Gabriel Martinelli’s disallowed goal just after the quarter-hour mark was the first notable incident – the Brazilian was offside before slotting the ball into Bayindir’s goal – but Arsenal failed, despite being cheered on by the home fans for everyone kind of momentum to maintain.
Odegaard looked brilliant at times but found it difficult to defuse a well-organized United defense that was comfortable against a Gunners side that lacked the quality of Bukayo Saka on the right.
Kobbie Mainoo had United’s first shot on goal, forcing David Raya to deftly go down and parry his 25-yard shot, before Lisandro Martinez received the game’s first yellow card after a collision with Jesus – an approach that was indirect His shot could have resulted in a subsequent knee injury.
Bruno Fernandes was also charged with dissent in response to a clash with Jesus in which the 27-year-old was eventually taken away on a stretcher, his shirt hiding the pain on his face.
The half-time analysis from Match of the Day trio Gary Lineker, Theo Walcott and Micah Richards, coupled with a cup of tea and McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Digestive, had barely had time to finish when the game suddenly burst into life.
Alejandro Garnacho emerged with the ball from a 50/50 battle with Gabriel on the halfway line and galloped into Arsenal territory. The Argentine striker, called up to the bench as Amad Diallo, then played a precise ball across the penalty area to the onrushing Fernandes, who scored a sublime finish with his behind-kick, sending the 8,000 traveling United fans into a frenzy.
At that point, Arsenal were undoubtedly the second-best team, but Diogo Dalot’s dismissal for a second yellow card – for a silly attack on a loose ball – gave the competition’s most successful team (14 wins) their way back into the game. Dalot had barely made it through the tunnel when Gabriel Magalhaes equalized – the goal-loving centre-back benefiting from a weak Bayindir strike and firing home a low shot that deflected off Matthijs de Ligt’s boot.
Then Bayindir took center stage as his rather average performance in the first 70 minutes of the game was replaced by something resembling the top Peter Schmeichel.
After Harry Maguire was found to have fouled Havertz in the penalty area, he initially saved Odegaard’s penalty before substitute Declan Rice failed with a wonderful shot over the bar. Havertz then inexplicably fired the ball over the bar from close range as Arsenal looked to exploit their player advantage, with Rice again denied by Bayindir before the end of normal time.
A superb last-minute save from De Ligt prevented substitute Leandro Trossard from scoring at the start of extra time, while at the other end Raya, who had been virtually watching since Fernandes’ goal, made a brilliant save and parried substitute Joshua Zirkzee’s deflected shot Start of the second 15 minutes.
Neither team could find a winner, so the game ended in a penalty shootout, and Bayindir was once again the hero, ensuring Havertz had a forgettable game for all the wrong reasons. United scored all five penalties and Zirkzee had the honor of sending the defending champions into the fourth round.
Penalty shootout
Check out the Arsenal 1-1 Man Utd (3-5 iE) player ratings here.
Nothing beats a bit of controversy, especially when it’s a heavyweight clash between two of England’s most successful clubs.
As VAR was not used in the third round of the FA Cup, it fell to the on-field referees to make the final judgment on every decision. And in the 17th minute of the game it was decided whether Gabriel Martinelli was offside or not before he pushed the ball into the United net.
The Brazilian was only a meter away, that was abundantly clear, but what was in dispute was whether Harry Maguire’s attempt to block Odegaard’s through ball was an attempt to play the ball or just a deflection.
Had the former been the case, Martinelli would have been ruled offside, but the assistant referee on the touchline chose the latter – much to the dismay of Mikel Arteta, who shouted in the fourth official’s ear: “That’s not possible.”
Unfortunately for the Spaniard it was possible and the call for no goal remained.
Bayindir made 145 appearances across all competitions for Turkish giants Fenerbahce – certainly a large enough sample for United to decide whether or not he would retire in England.
The 26-year-old was deliberately brought in as an understudy to Andre Onana but has only featured four times for the Red Devils – three of those appearances coming in this season’s Carabao Cup. Judging by his shooting ability – or distinct lack thereof – and his initial aura vacuum when the ball came out of the air into the box, he still has some work to do.
If Amorim wanted to give Bayindir the benefit of the doubt because of the disastrous performance of his feet, it is unlikely he will be so kind when reacting to his flap from a cross that led directly to Gabriel’s equalizer.
However.
While all of that was, well, bad, what he did in the final 20 minutes of regulation time was nothing short of spectacular. First, Bayindir brilliantly came down the left to save Odegaard’s weak penalty – the first time the Norwegian had missed one in senior football – before showing cat-like reflexes to parry Declan Rice’s close-range header. Yes, the England midfielder put it within reach, but it was still a great stop.
Bayindir then pressed Havertz to fire the ball over the bar in the dying embers and again parried Rice, curling his late left-footed shot around the post.
In the shootout, he guessed the right way to defeat Havertz again – by going from zero to hero in the blink of an eye.
There was a time when Harry Maguire’s Manchester United career seemed to be over. Since he was no longer in the team and no longer had any opportunities, he only got around because of his high salary.
But in Amorim’s familiar three-man system – a formation in which Maguire played for Gareth Southgate while playing for England – the 31-year-old seems at home. Flanked by De Ligt and Martinez, he carried out nine defensive actions in the first half alone, cleared the ball five times and won four of the four duels he contested. He also rose like a salmon and managed to clear his head four times.
The second half was the same story, with him clearing the ball out of United’s penalty area on several occasions, and he was very unlucky to receive a penalty for the briefest contact with Havertz. Leny Yoro is waiting to become a regular in United’s team but it’s hard to argue against the inclusion of Maguire when he’s playing at this level.
Make no mistake, Arsenal are a completely different team without Bukayo Saka.
To say they are out of ideas without the 23-year-old is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but it is undeniable that most attacks come without his invention, his ability to beat a man inside or out, or his ability to stall Spontaneous quality on the ball seems to be coming.
After Dalot’s red card, the chance generation really improved, giving Arteta’s team more space and freedom to play with the advantage. And without wanting to sound like a broken record, they are missing a player with the killer instinct in front of goal – Odegaard’s timid penalty shot and Havertz’s bizarre late miss before extra time are further evidence of what they are missing.
Alexander Isak is the one, although the way Arsenal raise £150m is well above this writer’s pay grade.