Chronicle Editor
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 last night.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, Tottenham narrowly avoided FA Cup embarrassment against non-league Tamworth as they needed extra-time before securing a 3-0 win in the third round.
Ange Postecoglou’s side, currently 12th in the Premier League, are 96 places above Tamworth, who sit 16th in the fifth tier National League.
But the supposed gap in quality was rarely apparent as Tottenham’s dismal display took them to the brink of a historic humiliation.
Tottenham last won a major trophy in 2008, but the under-fire Postecoglou boasts he always wins silverware in his second season at a club.—SuperSport/Reuters
Online Reporter
Londile Moyo