United’s unlikely hero makes FA Cup history with double penalty save at the Emirates

The FA Cup third round brought with it plenty of talking points over the weekend, not least during Arsenal and Manchester United’s action-fuelled tussle at the Emirates that needed extra-time and penalties to decide which of the two Premier League heavyweights would progress through to the fourth round. 

After a largely forgettable first half in north London, the tie sparked into life after the break, with the sending off of United defender Diogo Dalot on the hour mark lighting the touchpaper for what would be an exhilarating remainder of the contest. 

Bruno Fernandes had put the visitors ahead just nine minutes before his countryman’s dismissal with an emphatic first-time strike, however an almost immediate response was sought out by the hosts just two minutes after Dalot’s red card, as defender Gabriel found the back of the net with a well-taken (and slightly fortuitous) strike which deflected in to level proceedings. 

Gunners pay the price for penalty miss

Down to 10 men and with their slender advantage now in ruins, the odds were sufficiently stacked against Ruben Amorim’s side as Arsenal began to dominate the ball to try and find an opening. Resilience is key in football, though, and having previously shown very little of it this season, United battened down the hatches and weathered the Gunners’ storm tremendously. 

Martin Odegaard had the opportunity to put his team in front in the 72nd minute from the penalty spot – but all his spot-kick did was help to make history for United’s second choice shot-stopper Altay Bayindir. A fairly well-struck shot from the Norwegian was tipped around the post by the Turkish international, keeping the scores at one apiece as the game entered its final furlong.

The confidence gained from producing such an important save clearly did wonders for Bayinder, who was in red-hot form from then on in. Declan Rice – brought off the bench by Mikel Arteta to find an opening – thought he had done just that just minutes after Odegaard’s missed penalty, but the 26-year-old produced another incredible save, leaping up and tipping Rice’s header over the bar from close range.

Bayindir creates history

With nobody unable to find the net for the rest of the 90 minutes, the game was forced into extra-time. A similar script unfolded; Arsenal relentlessly stroked the ball around the edge of United’s area but failed to penetrate the two banks of four standing sternly in front of them. 

United struck back with their own unlikely counter-attack, too, as Joshua Zirkzee sent David Raya the wrong way with a cute effort at the near post, but the Spaniard was alert enough to readjust his dive and tipped the ball out for a corner. 

1-1 it remained as the clock struck 120 minutes. Penalties up next. 

Bayindir proved the hero once again, saving Kai Havertz’s tame effort to provide United with an advantage they gleefully took. Amorim’s men scored all five from the spot to dump the north London side out of the competition at the first time of asking and set up a tie against Leicester at the beginning of February. 

The headlines belong to Bayindir. A heroic Man of the Match performance plucked from the archives to keep the current holders’ dream of retaining their crown alive and kicking, creating his own slice of history in the process by becoming the first player in FA Cup history to save a penalty in both normal time and a penalty shootout in the same game. 

Surely worthy of a start in the Premier League eh, Ruben?