Matthijs de Ligt had one of his best performances yet in a Manchester United shirt on Sunday evening.
Manchester United beat Arsenal on penalties to qualify for the FA Cup fourth round, which has seen United drawn against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City.
It was a drama-filled affair at the Emirates Stadium as Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring with a sublime second-half strike.
United were reduced to 10 men nine minutes later, with Diogo Dalot dismissed for a second bookable offence. The hosts quickly took advantage of having an extra player as Gabriel scored the leveller just two minutes later.
Ruben Amorim’s side defended superbly as a unit to keep Arsenal at bay throughout the game, but it was Altay Bayindir who was the hero on the night for his penalty save(s).
Matthijs de Ligt hails United’s away following
United have the best away fans in the Premier League. They get behind the team win, lose or draw, and there have been times when we wished the players would show the same level of commitment on the pitch.
Matthijs de Ligt was one of United’s stand-out performers at the Emirates and he took time to send a message to the fans who travelled in their numbers.
In a post on Instagram, De Ligt praised his team-mates for showing an elite mentality to overcome Arsenal whilst down the 10 men.
The message is accompanied by a series of photographs from the match, including one of De Ligt sliding to block an effort from Declan Rice.
The Netherlands international also thanked United fans for their support.
Bruno Fernandes aims cheeky dig at Matthijs de Ligt
Several United first-team members replied to De Ligt’s post on Instagram.
Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia and Toby Collyer sent heart and fire emojis in response.
But Fernandes took a different approach as he aimed a cheeky dig at De Ligt, who was guilty of going to ground too soon when Cody Gakpo scored in United’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool last weekend.
Thankfully, De Ligt didn’t make a mistake like that against Arsenal. He was one of United’s best performers on the pitch, complimenting Harry Maguire in the heart of defence.
De Ligt is still trying to adapt to the English game, but he was much better today. It’s a performance that should give him a boost in confidence.
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