Arsenal limps into a midweek north London derby after losing to Manchester United on penalty kicks in the FA Cup this past weekend. The Gunners also dropped points in their last Premier League match and risk falling further behind Liverpool in the title chase if they cannot take care of business versus Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates on Wednesday. The Gunners experienced some all too familiar frustration with their attack against Manchester United on Sunday after Arsenal had failed to score in a Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle earlier in the week. Missed chances by Arsenal attackers left the Gunners facing a 1-0 deficit on Sunday after a Bruno Fernandes goal put the Red Devils ahead. Opportunity beckoned, however, when Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot was sent off in the 61st minute, reducing the Red Devils to 10 men. Two minutes later, Gabriel Magalhaes headed in the Arsenal equalizer. Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir then played the hero. The Turkish goalkeeper had played the goat in a Carabao Cup quarter final loss to Tottenham Hotspur when he allowed the winning goal to sail directly into the net from a Son Heung-min corner kick.
Redemption came on Sunday when Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard had a chance to win the match in regulation on a penalty try in the 72nd minute only to have Bayinidr make the save. The Manchester United goalkeeper would then similarly stop an attempt by Kai Havertz after the match went to penalty kicks with the sides knotted at one goal apiece. Joshua Zirkzee’s successful kick would seal the win for Manchester United as Bayinidir became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in both regulation and deciding shootout in more than ten years of FA Cup matches.
The way Man United players were so happy for Joshua Zirkzee after he scored the winning penalty vs. Arsenal 🥹 pic.twitter.com/3ZSTBN2VOM
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 12, 2025
Manchester United, which also played well in its recent league draw with Liverpool, will now be heavily favored to defeat Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday as Manager Reuben Amorim tries to pull the club back from the brink and dismiss relegation fears. Arsenal, meanwhile, likely faces the north London derby without Gabriel Jesus who was stretchered off in the FA Cup loss. Already without the injured Bukayo Saka, Arsenal will look to Kai Havertz to improve on recent performances which saw him miss gilt edged chances in the Cup losses to Newcastle and Manchester United.
Tottenham Hotspur advanced in the FA Cup over Tamworth but far more narrowly than the 3-0 final would indicate. Tamworth, a semiprofessional club in the fifth tier of English football took the visiting Premier League side to extra time before an own goal opened the flood gates as Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson finally got the better of Tamworth goalkeeper Jas Sing. A building surveyor by trade who became a father the day before the biggest match of his life, Sing’s flawless performance over the first ninety minutes of play included stellar stops on chances by James Maddison and Timo Werner. Spurs has failed to win in its last five Premier League matches with its north London rival. While Arsenal is pressing to close its current six-point gap to Liverpool in the Premier League title battle, Tottenham Hotspur is flailing in league play with the currently 12th place club having lost three of its last four and five of its last seven league matches.
League leading Liverpool, meanwhile, faces the Premier League’s most in form club when the Reds visit the City Gound for a match with Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees have won six consecutive league matches to climb to third in the Premier League table, level on points with second place Arsenal and just six points below Liverpool. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo and his charges stunned the league by inflicting Liverpool’s only loss of the season when the clubs met at Anfield earlier this season. Nottingham Forest has only gotten better and has not even conceded a goal in its last four matches. A patient style, with the least average possession of any club in the Premier League, provides a fascinating contrast to the attack-oriented league leaders.
There are few managers, meanwhile, who could be accused of a less entertaining style than recently sacked Everton manager Sean Dyche. One of those, however, might be David Moyes who has been named for a second stint at the Merseyside club. Moyes managed the club from 2002 to 2013, consistently finishing in the top half of the Premier League table. The Scottish manager then left Merseyside for an unsuccessful stint at Manchester United. After misfires with Real Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham, Moyes would rejoin the Hammers for a second run and lead the Hammers to a Europa League championship. The challenge this season in his return to Everton is to avoid the bottom three and bring Premier League football to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season.
The first order of business for Moyes is Aston Villa’s visit to Goodison Park on Wednesday. Villa results have been choppy in recent weeks with Manager Unai Emery’s club sitting eighth in the table after a five-match league stretch which captured just seven of 15 available points. The Villans will try to build off an FA Cup win last Friday over West Ham and new Manager Graham Potter.
Among other matches of note in the midweek league schedule is a battle between European contenders when Bournemouth faces Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Cherries, riding an eight-match unbeaten run which includes five league victories, are currently running seventh in the table but are just three points behind the fourth place Blues. Chelsea, meanwhile, has lost some momentum in recent weeks, capturing just two points out of the twelve available in its last four matches. Manchester City will try to win a third consecutive match and close ground on the top four when it visits Brentford on Tuesday. The task will be formidable, however, as the Bees have the second-best home record in the league behind Liverpool while four of Manchester City’s six losses this season have come on come on the road.
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