Manchester United creditably squeezed past Premier League rivals Arsenal to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup, leaving former Newcastle great \u00a0Alan Shearer particularly impressed with three Red Devils stars.<\/p>\n
The Newcastle legend hailed the performances of three \u201csuperb\u201d Manchester United\u00a0stars who rose to the occasion against the Gunners\u00a0despite one being set to drop out of the side.<\/p>\n
The Red Devils somehow managed to find a way out of their conundrum \u00a0past their Premier League\u00a0rivals on penalties after a1-1 draw in normal time, with Bruno Fernandes \u00a0and Gabriel Magalhaes scoring for each side.<\/p>\n
Martin Odegaard had a penalty saved by United\u2019s stand-in keeper Altay Bayindir, who also successfully denied Kai Havertz\u00a0in the resultant shootout, leading to Shearer picking out out the former Fenerbahce star for special praise.<\/p>\n
He was also left impressed by defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, speaking on the BBC: \u201cHe [Bayindir] holds his nerve, he doesn’t blink first.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a three-way tie between him and De Ligt and Maguire who I thought were also superb but just because of his penalty save, I thought I would give it to him [the man of the match award]. When you get given an opportunity, you have to take it and he took it today.\u201d Shearer wasn\u2019t the only one who was impressed by Bayindir\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n
United boss Ruben Amorim was also generous with his praises for the former Fenerbache keeper after stepping up despite limited opportunities at Old Trafford so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really important, not just for him but all the players,\u201d Amorim said. \u201cYour life as a footballer has cycles and moments. Sometimes in one week, your life can change. You can see Altay. Against\u00a0Tottenham, everybody was pointing the finger at him and I understand that. Today he was our hero also.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for Bayindir, his shining performance against Arsenal\u00a0might not be enough to see him hold his place in the side as Andre Onana will return for the midweek Premier League clash with struggling Southampton.<\/p>\n
Away from his praise for Bayindir, United boss Amorim also picked out Joshua Zirkzee for converting the winning penalty, particularly given the criticism he has faced recently. He said: \u201cJoshua a few weeks ago had a small problem with our fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, every time he\u2019s going on the pitch, you felt the support from the fans. And then he has the last penalty. Life is like that. You have to stay humbled, work every day and your time will come.\u201d<\/p>\n
United\u2019s win against Arsenal saw them seal a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup, which will see them take on Leicester City following Sunday\u2019s draw – a game that will see former striker and boss Ruud van Nistelrooy return.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"