Ruben Amorim sees shoots of progress in Manchester United shoot-out win at Arsenal

LONDON – Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said his team are still improving, as the dramatic FA Cup third-round penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal on Jan 12 points to a more positive future after a difficult start to life at Old Trafford.

United fans have suffered several false dawns in recent seasons, with development under his predecessors Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer largely a case of one step forward and two steps back.

The Portuguese may have wondered if he had taken on a poisoned chalice when a three-game unbeaten run to begin his reign was followed by a woeful run of results, with an unlikely victory over Manchester City in the middle.

But, having outperformed expectations with a brilliant display at Liverpool to draw 2-2 on Jan 5, United followed that up at Arsenal to keep their FA Cup defence alive at the Emirates.

Amorim said he was particularly pleased with United’s improvement on their 2-0 league defeat at Arsenal on Dec 4, when both the Gunners’ goals came from set pieces.

“I think we played, especially in the first half, we played better than in the first game,” he told reporters.

“We were better in set pieces today, more aggressive. We showed a different spirit, even with 10 men, we are improving on that aspect.”

Second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and forward Joshua Zirkzee were ultimately United's heroes on Jan 12 after recent criticism.

Zirkzee was booed off as a first-half substitute in the Dec 30 loss to Newcastle United, while Bayindir was blamed for United’s League Cup quarter-final defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.

But both were key contributors to United’s 5-3 shoot-out win, in which they were reduced to 10 men, with Amorim saying was a lesson for his squad.

“Your life as a footballer has cycles and moments and sometimes in one week your life can change,” he said.

“You can see Altay – against Tottenham everybody was pointing the finger (at) Altay and I understand that and today he was our hero also.

“Joshua a few weeks ago had a small problem with our fans and today every time he’s going on the pitch you feel the support from the fans.

“Then he has the last penalty, so life is like that and you have to continue (being) humble, to work every day; your time will come.”

Amorim also said he was not sure if forward Marcus Rashford, who was again left out of the squad, had played his last game for United.

“He’s a player for Manchester United, we’ll see. He has to work, he has to represent his club and he loves his club, but I have to make choices,” he said.

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was astounded his side could not finish off 10-man United.

The hosts came from behind to level, Gabriel Magalhaes cancelling out Bruno Fernandes’ opener after United’s Diogo Dalot was sent off, and could have taken the lead through a controversial penalty.

But captain Martin Odegaard’s spot kick was saved by Bayindir, who produced the only save of the shoot-out from Kai Havertz. That sent United through to a fourth-round home tie against Leicester City, who are managed by former United great Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Arsenal had multiple chances to score a winner at 1-1, with Havertz guilty of missing a relatively simple chance inside the last 10 minutes of normal time, and Arteta could not quite believe his team were on the wrong side of the result.

“Incredible how you don’t win the game,” he told reporters. “The dominance, the superiority in relation to the opposition and everything that we did to try to win the game and that’s it.

“We didn’t get what we deserved clearly, but there is an element that is about putting the ball in the back of the net.

“We did it once and with the amount of situations, chances, penalties that we had, we didn’t (again). We go home extremely sad but I cannot be prouder of my players.”

Arsenal came into the match unbeaten in 10 English Premier League games and having trimmed Liverpool’s lead to six points, albeit having played a game more.

But the FA Cup exit, following a 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final, narrows the Gunners’ prospects of silverware this season. REUTERS