MATCH OF THE ALTAY

Bayindir heroics settle ding-dong tussle

- JEREMY CROSS

YOU can forget all about the romance of the FA Cup.

There was no love lost between old rivals Arsenal and Manchester United in this blood-and-thunder third-round tie at the Emirates.

In the end, backup goalkeeper Altay Bayindir earned a place in the hearts of United fans with a heroic display that included two crucial penalty saves.

Forget the first half, too. Little happened.

But the second one more than made amends, and included a red card, dust-up between both teams, bloodied noses and a missed penalty won by what Harry Maguire clearly saw as cheating from Kai Havertz.

In the end, 10-man United somehow emerged triumphant from all the mayhem after winning a penalty shoot-outone in which Havertz missed, before Joshua Zirkzee, of all people, held his nerve to score the one that fired Ruben Amorim's men into the next round.

Welcome to the FA Cup, Ruben. The Portuguese had heroes all over the place, not least in Bayindir.