Manchester United successfully defeated Arsenal through a 1-1 (5-3) penalty shootout in the third round of the 2024/2025 FA Cup held at the Emirates Stadium, Sunday (12/1/2025).
Man United took the lead at Arsenal’s home ground first through Bruno Fernandes’ goal. The Red Devils then played with 10 men after Diogo Dalot received a second yellow card.
Arsenal then equalized the score thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes’ goal. The hosts had the opportunity to take the lead again. However, Martin Odegaard’s penalty was stopped by Altay Bayindir.
No additional goals were scored throughout extra time. In the penalty shootout, Bayindir played extraordinarily to thwart Kai Havertz’s execution. Man United emerged as the winner with a score of 5-3.
Arsenal tried to dominate the game from the start of the match. However, the hosts still had difficulty breaking down Man United’s defense which played very disciplined.
In the 40th minute, Arsenal had to lose Gabriel Jesus who was injured after dueling with Bruno Fernandes. His position was replaced by Raheem Sterling.
Throughout the first half, Arsenal were recorded as being completely unable to fire a shot on target. The score was a 0-0 draw as the interim result entering the halftime break.
Returning from the locker room, Man United were extraordinarily able to open the lead first through Fernandes’ first-time shot following Alejandro Garnacho’s .
Disaster for Man United came in the 61st minute. Dalot committed a hard foul on Mikel Merino. He was given a second yellow card which meant a red card.
Less than two minutes later, Man United suffered even more after Gabriel scored the equalizer. Taking advantage of a loose ball, Gabriel fired a volley that hit Matthijs de Ligt and deceived Bayindir.
In the 70th minute, Harry Maguire was deemed to have violated Kai Havertz in the penalty box. The referee then gave Arsenal a penalty. Unfortunately for the hosts, Martin Odegaard’s execution was blocked by Bayindir.
Arsenal created a number of dangerous opportunities in the remaining time. However, Bayindir performed brilliantly under the crossbar. The 1-1 draw remained unchanged until the second half ended. The match had to go into extra time.
With a superior number of players, Arsenal continued to terrorize Man United’s defense. On the other hand, Man United looked for opportunities through counterattacks several times. No goals were scored in the first half.
Entering the second half, Man United threatened several times through the cooperation of two substitute players, Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo. However, no additional goals were scored. The winner had to be determined through a penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, Bayindir again performed fantastically when he blocked Kai Havertz’s execution. Man United successfully won with a score of 5-3 and was entitled to advance to the fourth round.
