"Bet the ref's gutted" - Rio Ferdinand reacts as Manchester United knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup after penalty shootout win

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand reacted after the Red Devils knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup with a penalty shootout on Sunday. By 90 minutes, neither side had gotten the better of the other, with the scores at 1-1. The situation remained the same through extra time, with United clinching the FA Cup third-round win on penalties.

The match did not have VAR on call, which paved the way for potential controversy. The bone of contention came in the 69th minute when Harry Maguire was deemed to have tackled Kai Havertz in the box, with referee Andy Madley pointing to the spot. It seemed to have been a soft tackle, but with no VAR to overturn the decision, the Gunners had the chance to get their second goal.

However, Altay Bayindir stopped Martin Odegaard's penalty. The Turkish goalkeeper was also the hero of the penalty shootout, saving Havertz's effort and giving the Red Devils their route into the next round of the FA Cup.

After the game, Rio Ferdinand shared his reaction on X (formerly Twitter).

"Another battling performance… desire, willingness to fight as a team! ManUtd ❤️. Bet the ref’s gutted 😱🤯," Ferdinand wrote.

He added another tweet.

"Have that!!!!!"

It was a remarkable match that burst into life in the second half. Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, providing a fitting end to a brilliant play from Manchester United. However, Diogo Dalot was shown a second yellow card after lunging into a tackle on Mikel Merino in the 61st minute.

Soon enough, Arsenal found their equalizer through defender Gabriel Magalhaes in the 63rd minute. Martin Odegaard had his chance saved from 12 yards, while the Gunners missed other big chances to seal the game in normal time and extra time.

It wasn't to be, though, as Arsenal lost in front of their fans at the Emirates Stadium, while Manchester United had much reason to jubilate.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim opens up about penalty decision in Arsenal clash

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has opened up to the press about referee Andy Madley's penalty decision in their FA Cup clash against Arsenal. Those of a Red Devils' persuasion were convinced that Maguire's tackle on Havertz was not enough to give a penalty to the Gunners.

When asked about the decision, Amorim said (via the club's website):

"Yeah, it's far away. The players told me that it was not a penalty, but let's move on. We go to the next round and focus on the next game."

Manchester United will look to take a strong momentum from this win, having come off a poor run of five games without a win. They will return to the pitch on Thursday (Jan. 16) to face Southampton at Old Trafford.

Arsenal will be gutted by their loss. They will also be concerned that this makes it three games in all competitions without a win. They have to turn towards their next match, a north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (Jan. 15).

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