Manchester United started their defence of their FA Cup crown with a battling display that saw them knock out Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim’s side progressed to the fourth round after a drama-filled afternoon in North London was settled by a penalty shootout that saw Altay Bayindir emerge as United’s unlikely hero.
Bruno Fernandes’ outstanding strike gave United the lead which sparked a wild second half that saw Diogo Dalot sent off before Gabriel levelled for the hosts.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard then saw his penalty saved by Bayindir who went on to produce a string of fine stops that included thwarting Kai Havertz in the shootout to grant United safe passage to Round 4.
As reported by The Express, former United defender Patrice Evra was delighted with the result and he weighed in on Arsenal’s misfortune.
Evra took to social media to poke fun at the Gunners who now face the very real possibility of another season without a trophy.
The Frenchman posted a funny video on X (formerly Twitter) after the game which showed two young girls walking head first into a mirror, with the thud of them hitting the glass transitioning into the Netflix sound.
Oups 😅 breaking news: arsenal @netflix show seasons 21 loading… don’t miss it pic.twitter.com/F1pnnSE9cD
— Patrice Evra (@Evra) January 12, 2025
The caption read: “Oups. Breaking news: Arsenal @netflix show seasons 21 loading… don’t miss it.”
The Netflix reference comes after Evra’s viral claim that likened Arsenal to the streaming service by stating “you always have to wait for the next season” to see them lift a trophy.
Sunday’s result is another huge feather in the cap for Amorim who, despite his rocky start at United, has now beaten Arsenal and Manchester City on the road as well as producing their season-best showing at Anfield, holding Liverpool to a 2-2 draw.
After a shocking run that saw United lose four on the spin, the team are now showing signs of adapting to the new head coach’s methods and they will expect to build on solid back-to-back displays.
The prize for beating Arteta’s men is a home tie against Leicester City, a game United will expect to win given the ease with which they had swatted the Foxes aside twice earlier in the campaign.
United are next in action on Thursday night with Southampton travelling to Old Trafford for the return of the Premier League.
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Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
