Harry Maguire was an absolute colossus for Manchester United during their FA Cup win over Arsenal.
The Red Devils kickstarted their FA Cup defence with a tricky visit to 14-time winners Arsenal. It was far from easy, but Ruben Amorim’s side booked their spot in the fourth round after a dramatic penalty shootout.
Manchester United’s gameplan was clear – to defend as a unit, frustrate the hosts, and hit them on the counter-attack. Everything was going according to plan when Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring in the second half.
However, referee Andrew Madley hogged the limelight when he decided to send off Diogo Dalot and then minutes later award Arsenal a penalty. Thankfully, justice was served when Altay Bayindir superbly saved Martin Odegaard’s effort.
Down to 10 men, United had to dig deep and defend resiliently. Maguire was “absolutely immense” against the Gunners, with the England star proving to be a rock in the heart of United’s defence.
Harry Maguire was ill in the lead-up to Arsenal clash
Harry Maguire has enjoyed a brilliant comeback under Amorim so far.
After coming so close to leaving United in recent windows, Maguire has now become untouchable under the Portuguese head coach.
United and Amorim decided to trigger Maguire’s contract extension, keeping him at Old Trafford until at least 2026. If he continues in this vein of form, he should be staying a while longer than that too.
Andy Mitten has now revealed via the Talk of the Devils podcast that Maguire was actually ill in the lead-up to the Arsenal clash.
“I thought Harry Maguire has been excellent under the new manager,” Mitten said. “I don’t think it’s well known but he spent the last two days in bed before the game.
“He really wanted to play, and he did play and he was magnificent.”
The numbers behind Harry Maguire’s masterclass vs Arsenal
Maguire was easily one of United’s best players on the night, and he deserved every second of his standing ovation when he was replaced by Leny Yoro.
A closer look at his stats proves just how impactful Maguire was in North London.
| Minutes played | 104 |
| Touches | 50 |
| Clearances | 11 |
| Blocked shots | 5 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Duels won | 87.5% (7/8) |
| Dribbles completed | 100% (1/1) |
Despite his illness, Maguire was able to feature for 104 minutes against Arsenal. Defensively, he was flawless with two tackles, one interception and a staggering 11 clearances.
The penalty he conceded against Kai Havertz was extremely harsh, and justice was served when Bayindir denied the Gunners from the spot.
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