FA Cup
Ruben Amorim has said Manchester United deserved to progress past Arsenal in the FA Cup and that they controlled the game without the ball.
United advanced through to the fourth round on penalties after a dramatic match. Amorim’s side took the lead through Bruno Fernandes after the break but a Diogo Dalot red card and Gabriel equaliser had appeared to turn the game on its head.
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The away side’s goalkeeper Altay Bayindir — playing ahead of first-choice Andre Onana — saved Martin Odegaard’s penalty in the second half and United saw out the remainder of the game and extra-time period before progressing on penalties.
“Some things are not technical and tactical, we had fight and we competed,” Amorim told BBC Sport after the match.
“We deserved the win even though they had more chances. They didn’t deserve to lose, but we deserved to win. We didn’t have the ball so much but we had control without the ball.
“The fans were unbelievable for us too. Now we have to rest the players, they are really tired.”
GO DEEPER
The Briefing: Arsenal 1 Man United 1 (Utd win 5-3 on pens) – missed chances, a red, pens and needle in cup thriller
Amorim, whose side drew 2-2 at Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend, praised his side’s progress in recent matches and their defending throughout Sunday’s cup tie.
“I felt from the beginning of the second half that everything would be ok, and especially after the penalty,” Amorim said. “Maybe they felt today was not their day, but I am really pleased with our defending and our strength on set pieces.”
United will play Leicester City in the fourth round at Old Trafford, a game which will see them welcome back former interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy.
GO DEEPER
FA Cup fourth-round draw: Man Utd vs Leicester
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Colin Millar is a Staff Writer for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, Colin was European Football writer at Mirror Football. From Belfast, he is the author of The Frying Pan of Spain: Sevilla vs Real Betis, Spain’s Hottest Football Rivalry, and he can be found on Twitter/X: @Millar_Colin Follow Colin on Twitter @Millar_Colin
