FA Cup: Arsenal Finally Win at Old Trafford
Angel Di Maria dribbles around a Newcastle defender. PHOTO CREDIT: Manchester United Twitter account @ManUtd.
Antonio Valencia Lost United the Match, Di Maria Put the Nail in the Coffin
Manchester United fans can bemoan Louis van Gaal all they want for his tactic or substitutions; though the halftime subs were interesting and a bit odd. The bottom line is that Antonio Valencia put up an absolute stinker.
Deployed as a right back by van Gaal, the Ecuadorian was under pressure for much of the night. Arsenal were exposing him by attacking on his side with Alexis Sanchez, who was more than a handful for Valencia. Because of his speed, Valencia was able to recover a few times when caught out of position.
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It eventually caught up to him when Valencia was found defending a play in the middle, exposing the right side of United’s defense. Arsenal left back Nacho Monreal found the gaping space and had a one on one with De Gea. With a multitude of defenders to take Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on, though many failed, there was no reason for Valencia to abandon his position.
Despite playing a part in build up to Rooney’s goal, it was ultimately the largest error of the match that undid the home side. As seen on Arsenal’s game-winning goal, Valencia completely fluffed his lines on a back pass to De Gea, almost slicing the ball into the ground. This put his keeper in a precarious position for the second time in the night. The mistake allowed Welbeck to score his story line winner and for Arsenal to ultimately advance. It was a night marred with errors all over the pitch, but Valencia’s proved most costly.
With regards to Angel Di Maria, the Argentine has found life difficult at Old Trafford. His play has been heavily scrutinized as he has struggled to find the fantastic form displayed at Real Madrid. The £59.7 million pound transfer fee to obtain him, making him the most expensive transfer into the EPL, certainly put the pressure on.
In regards to this match, Di Maria was fantastic in the first half. He was making marauding runs, smart decisions and causing chaos for Arsenal’s defense. Unfortunately for the midfielder, it all unraveled in a matter of a minute.
After going down rather easily, Di Maria was shown yellow for simulation. A simple touch on the wrist from Aaron Ramsey caused the Argentine to fall to the ground as if he had been shot, so Michael Oliver had no other option than to brandish the yellow card.
Instead of keeping his cool, in a moment of lunacy, Di Maria grabbed Michael Oliver’s shirt in protest. The ref did not take kindly to it, regrouped himself and sent Di Maria off.
Not even DiMaria’s manager could justify such actions:
"“I think he’s touched the referee and that’s forbidden in every country, so he has no excuses. Di Maria knows that he doesn’t have to touch the referee, so that is not so smart of him. Every player knows that.”"
Up until this moment, United had sustained great attack since the Arsenal goal and looked to be poised for an equalizer. Di Maria’s red put an end to that final hope and Manchester United’s FA Cup run.
Next: Arsenal Finally Winning Big Road Matches