Five was the magic number for Altay Bayindir! the Turkish reserve goalkeeper played a crucial role in propelling Manchester United into the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup.
The Turkish international faced five penalties in a remarkable game at Arsenal and saved two – one from Martin Ødegaard that could have given the Gunners 2-1 with 18 minutes left of normal time, and the other from Kai Havertz in the penalty shootout that United eventually won 5-3.
Who will Manchester United choose going forward, Andre Onana, who delivers far below what you would expect from a first-choice goalkeeper, or Altay Bayindir, who picks penalties with ease.
According to the statistics on Transfermarkt, this was the fifth game in which Bayindir saved a penalty in the space of 90 minutes – and in all of those games he has avoided defeat.
The previous four were all at club level in Turkey – three with Fenerbahce (final scores were 1-1, 2-0, 2-1) and one for MKE Ankaragucu (1-1).
Man United’s post immediately after beating Arsenal has gone viral.
On Sunday afternoon, United took the first step in defending the FA Cup with a massive win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite being reduced to 10 men after United defender Diogo Dalot was shown a second yellow card, the visitors held on to a 1-1 draw through both normal and extra time and won the match 5-4 on penalties.
Immediately after the game, the official United account posted its reaction to the victory, and the fans can’t believe it.
Throughout the game, several United fans criticized referee Andrew Madley for how he refereed the game, and it seems that the club’s official account is correct.
The official United account in social media had the following words right after the victory: “Justice”.
In reaction to the post, one United fan wrote: “Nicely said. One word. Justice. We deserved it.”
While another wrote, “The United administrator really gave us this generational tweet.”
And one excited fan added: “What a game and for a team, now I’m actually scared of what this coach can do, he’s a very tough man to beat. I think Man United are BACK!”
Manchester United’s second goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was the hero for the visitors in the match, stopping Arsenal from taking the lead after saving a Martin Odegaard penalty in normal time.
The Turkish goalkeeper cemented himself as the player of the match when he produced an incredible save during the penalty shootout, denying Arsenal striker Kai Havertz and securing the victory for United.
Arsenal fans will be hugely disappointed with the result, as it is the second consecutive defeat in the cup competition following their 2-0 loss to Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Meanwhile for United fans, they can look forward to a reunion with former striker and interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, as the FA Cup fourth round draw saw them clash with Leicester City at Old Trafford.
The fourth round tie will be played between Friday, February 7 and Monday, February 10.
