Manuel Ugarte could be banned for his involvement in a brawl during Manchester United’s FA Cup win over Arsenal, but Ruben Amorim has defended his team
Manchester United’s fiery FA Cup triumph over Arsenal on Sunday may have costly repercussions for Manuel Ugarte.
Tensions flared when a contentious penalty was awarded to Arsenal following Harry Maguire’s perceived infringement on Kai Havertz, leaving the scoreline poised at 1-1. As Maguire tried to confront Havertz, a mass brawl ensued, with Ugarte appearing to headbutt the German in the chaos that followed.
Referee Andy Madley appeared to overlook Ugarte’s involvement, as he wasn’t one of the trio of players cautioned in the aftermath of the clash. Moreover, with VAR excluded from the FA Cup’s third and fourth rounds, the incident may face further scrutiny.
If deemed an act of violent conduct, Ugarte could be staring at a potential three-match suspension. However, the match ultimately veered in United’s favour as Altay Bayindir thwarted Martin Odegaard’s penalty, and the Red Devils secured victory via a penalty shootout.After the match, Ugarte took to Instagram, posting snapshots of himself in action, accompanied by the phrase: “When we have the ball, it’s a game and when we don’t, it’s a fight. Let’s keep it going always together,” reports the Mirror.
United manager Ruben Amorim also chimed in with similar sentiments, saying: “Thankfully, the players were there. They fight, and what we talk about before the match is not technical or tactical, but this.“We have to compete no matter the situation, and we competed today. I think they [Arsenal] had more chances, but I think we deserved to win. Arsenal maybe didn’t deserve to lose, but we deserved the win, with the way we played and the way we fought.“It was really tough at the beginning and not having the ball, but without the ball you can control the game. We had the feeling that everything in the end would be okay – I felt that since the beginning of the second half.
“Even after the penalty, I felt that and I think the Arsenal team maybe felt that today wouldn’t be their day. But I’m really pleased for the way we controlled the game without the ball, and with set-pieces, we were really strong.“The spirit was there even with 10 men. I think the connection between the team on the pitch and the fans outside was a really good thing to feel. I think we are improving on that and I think that is the base of everything. Now the rest will come but that connection, we are fighting.”