Revealed: Harry Maguire’s ‘three-word message to Kai Havertz’ as pair clashed in mass brawl – after Arsenal were awarded controversial penalty in FA Cup defeat by Man United
Harry Maguire was at the heart of the chaos as Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with Arsenal descended into an on-pitch brawl at the Emirates.
Tempers reached boiling point between the historic rivals when the referee pointed to the spot with twenty minutes to play, calling for a foul after Maguire caught Kai Havertz in the box.
This decision was not taken to kindly by the Man United centre-back, who pleaded his innocence with the referee and appeared to accuse Havertz of diving.
With no VAR at the referee’s disposal in the third round FA Cup encounter, the penalty was not overturned, sparking all hell to break loose between the players.
Irate with his opponent, Maguire shouted: “You cheating scumbag” at Havertz moments before an almighty brawl broke out.
Both sets of players began squaring up to one another, with Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte also clashing with Havertz as the German found himself on the deck.
Harry Maguire was at the heart of the chaos as Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with Arsenal descended into an on-pitch brawl at the Emirates
Maguire did not take kindly to the referee’s decision to award a penalty after Kai Havertz went down softly under his challenge
Martin Odegaard was thwarted from the spot as Altay Bayindir produced a fantastic save
After things had calmed down, Martin Odegaard stepped up to the spot with the intention of slotting home and putting the Gunners in front.
However, Altay Bayindir produced a stunning save to keep the game on level terms, with the contest eventually forced to extra time.
Arsenal initially found themselves trailing in the tie, with Bruno Fernandes firing Ruben Amorim’s side in front after being played through by Alejandro Garnacho.
The Gunners found a reprieve through Gabriel, whose effort flew beyond Bayindir after deflecting of Matthijs de Ligt.
The penalty incident was hardly the only drama to take place in the game, with Diogo Dalot handed his marching orders in the period between the two goals for a reckless challenge, which awarded him a second yellow.
Both teams then went searching for a winner in extra time, looking to keep their respective FA Cup dreams alive. However, neither side could find that finishing touch, forcing the contest to penalties.
It was Havertz’s miss that proved pivotal in the shootout, with Joshua Zirkzee putting United’s fifth and final penalty beyond David Raya to book their place in the FA Cup fourth round.
