Joshua Zirkzee lavished the ultimate praise on one Manchester United teammate after the Red Devils’ sensational FA Cup win over Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United kicked off their FA Cup title defence with a hard-fought penalty shootout victory at the Emirates over their Premier League rivals.
Ruben Amorim’s men broke the deadlock in the second half through Bruno Fernandes before being reduced down to 10 men for the third-round tie.
Diogo Dalot picked up a second booking and was sent marching before 10-man United conceded only two minutes later thanks to Gabriel’s volley for Arsenal.
United and Arsenal played out a 1-1 scoreline in regular playing time and the FA Cup clash was sent to extra-time, with neither side able to break the deadlock.
Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup on Sunday after all five of United’s spot-kick takers converted past Gunners shot-stopper David Raya in the shootout.
Zirkzee’s praise for Man Utd star
Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench in the second half and impressed with his cameo performance amid criticism over his impact in his first season at Old Trafford.
The 23-year-old Dutch forward, who has been linked with Juventus, converted the winning penalty for Manchester United to seal a 5-3 penalty shootout win.
Arsenal crashed out of the competition and United punched their ticket to the fourth round to face Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City at Old Trafford in February.
Harry Maguire produced a strong showing in the FA Cup win at the Emirates and the England and United defender shared a message on social media after the match.
Posting on his Instagram, he wrote: “Sunday afternoons in the FA Cup.”
Zirkzee was spotted in the comments of his Instagram post and the United and Netherlands striker posted a touching response to the 31-year-old defender.
“Top Harry,” he wrote, adding a fire emoji and a fist bump emoji.
Amorim’s reaction to Arsenal penalty vs Man Utd
Harry Maguire had a controversial decision that went against him after Arsenal went level with United, with referee Andy Madley pointing to the spot for his challenge.
The former United captain was ruled to have fouled Kai Havertz before Arsenal and United players were involved in a heated confrontation on the pitch.
Altay Bayindir successfully denied Arsenal star Martin Odegaard from the spot-kick in the subsequent penalty and kept United in the FA Cup contest.
Speaking at his post-match press conference (via Manchester United’s official website), Ruben Amorim was asked about the penalty decision and he said: “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.”
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