Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United: Hits and Flops, FA Cup 2018-19
Friday night's FA Cup fourth-round clash between Arsenal and Manchester United saw Manchester United progress to the next round with a 3-1 win over Arsenal.
The game took some time to open up as both sides played cautiously during the opening exchanges, but it was United who took the lead just after the half-hour mark through former Arsenal man, Alexis Sanchez. United doubled their lead after two minutes when Jese Lingard beat Petr Cech from close range. Arsenal pulled a goal back through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 43rd minute.
The Gunners had a glorious chance to equalize through Aaron Ramsey in the early minutes of the second half, whose header was well saved by Sergio Romero. Arsenal's search for the equalizer proved to be futile as Manchester United defended valiantly and secured the win in the 82nd minute through Anthony Martial.
On that note, let us take a look at the hits and flops from the FA Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium.
#1 Hit: Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku had a tough start to the 2018/19 campaign and was benched after disappointing performances. However, Friday night's clash against Arsenal was a confidence booster for the Belgian who turned provider on two occasions in a Man of the Match performance.
Lukaku put his physicality to great use and constantly drew the Arsenal defenders out of position. On many occasions, Laurent Koscielny had to mark him high up the pitch which resulted in large gaps being left behind. He troubled Arsenal's rearguard by making some perfectly timed runs behind the back four.
Taking advantage of a disorganized Arsenal defence, Lukaku threaded in a delightful through ball for Alexis in the build-up to United's first goal. The Belgian turned provider yet again as Lingard scored from close range in the 33rd minute.