In an eventful 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last Sunday, Manchester United secured a thrilling 5-4 victory in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out against their arch-rivals Arsenal. The match saw an incredible display of heroics from Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Altay Bayindir.
With the match hanging in the balance after 90 minutes, it was United’s Diogo Dalot who received a second yellow card for a reckless tackle, forcing his team to play with 10 men. Arsenal capitalized on this situation when Gabriel Magalhaes equalized in the 60th minute, canceling Bruno Fernandes’ 55th-minute strike.
The Gunners had thought they were in control after taking an 18th-minute lead, but the Brazilian’s goal was correctly disallowed after a VAR review deemed him offside. This setback, coupled with Harry Maguire’s deflection, which allowed Gabriel Jesus to receive a stretcher, put the Gunners under immense pressure.
United, however, capitalized on the situation when Fernandes scored on the counter in the 55th minute, only for Arsenal to equalize nine minutes later. Bayindir’s heroics continued to unfold as he saved Martin Odegaard’s penalty and then expertly denied Declan Rice’s chance, leaving United fans stunned.
The Turkish goalkeeper’s incredible display left many speculating that he might be the difference-maker in this thrilling encounter. In the penalty shoot-out, Bayindir saved from Kai Havertz, who missed his chance from 12 yards, and then repelled another penalty from Odegaard.
United, however, produced five spot-kicks, with Joshua Zirkzee sealing the win after Havertz’s attempt was tipped around the post by Bayindir. The result sees Manchester United avenge their 2005 defeat against Arsenal in the FA Cup final, when they lost to the same opponent in a penalty shootout.
Bayindir’s six saves throughout the contest left Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya in his wake. While Arsenal’s poor finishing was evident, with Kai Havertz missing valuable scoring opportunities worth 0.8 expected goals, their inability to capitalize on the chances they created ultimately cost them the game.
