In the space of a week, Manchester United once again produced the goods in another huge game, as they began their defence of the FA Cup with a 5-3 win on penalties against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.
The victory was made even more special as the visitors went down to 10 men in the 61st minute, when Diogo Dalot saw his second yellow, but still went on to take the game to extra-time and subsequently penalties.
Ruben Amorim will be delighted with the heart and intensity shown by his team against the odds once again. Not many had given the 20-time English league champions a chance given their difficulties in the Premier League.
But they rose to the occasion in North London, especially a few who have faced severe criticism in recent weeks and have been linked with an exit as a result.
Bayindir produces a stunner
The head coach decided to take a bold call when he announced during his pre-match press conference that Altay Bayindir would start in goal ahead of Andre Onana.
The Turk was at fault for two of Tottenham Hotspur’s goals in United’s Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat a few weeks ago and he is reportedly unhappy with his lack of minutes at Old Trafford.
He began in nervous fashion, with his passing going awry most of the times, and when his weak punch out led to the Gunners scoring their equaliser, it almost felt like the former Fenerbahce star would buckle under pressure.
But he rose to the occasion, saving Martin Odegaard’s penalty, which the hosts won courtesy of a a blatant dive from Kai Havertz which the referee did not spot.
The Turkiye international made quite a few stunning saves to keep the score level till the end of extra-time before saving again from Havertz in the penalty shootout.
This result will hopefully do a lot for his confidence, and maybe more chances in the cup will come his way now that the club have secured progress into the fourth round of the competition.
Another player who has been under pressure since Amorim’s arrival has been Alejandro Garnacho. The coach had even dropped him from the matchday squad ahead of the Manchester derby.
Garnacho with another assist
His attitude off and on the pitch was questioned and he has had to make do with substitute appearances. He got a rare start on Sunday and just like he did against Liverpool last week, he once again reminded everyone of what he can produce.
He grabbed his second assist in as many games with a great run after the hosts made a defensive mistake and he expertly found a marauding Bruno Fernandes who smashed into the back of the net to hand the Red Devils the lead.
The Argentine was not afraid to do the dirty work as he responded to the head coach’s demand of wanting more off the ball from him.
The intensity the players showed since going a man down was once again proof that Amorim is slowly turning the tide at the club. Now it is only a matter of consistency and whether the players can keep this up.
Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
