Joshua Zirkzee had heard his name shouted from the traveling Manchester United fans to the rafters of the Emirates Stadium as he was introduced as a substitute. There was a concerted effort from them to build some bridges after what happened against Newcastle at the end of December: Zirkzee applauded after his 33rd-minute pullback, a shocking low point.

When the final whistle blew and the score was 1-1 in the third round of the FA Cup, Zirkzee turned to the United support to cheer them on. The connection has been restored. And it just had to be Zirkzee who kicked it forward at the end of the shootout to win.

The second half of regular time had flown by, with Bruno Fernandes scoring for United and Gabriel Magalhães equalizing for Arsenal after the visitors saw Diogo Dalot sent off in the 62nd minute. Arsenal wasted a chance to make it 2-1 when captain Martin Ødegaard parried an Altay Bayindir penalty that Ruben Amorim had put ahead of his regular goalkeeper Andre Onana. Bayindir would make some great saves at the end of regular time.

What a decision by Amorim to give Zirkzee the fifth penalty. Everyone except Kai Havertz had scored for Arsenal, the German’s shot lacked power and Bayindir dived low to the left to block it. It was a day Bayindir will never forget, especially after the nightmare of his previous performance in the Carabao Cup quarter-final exit at Tottenham.

Now to Zirkzee and a moment of near-perfect storytelling. As he buried his kick into the bottom corner, the United fans chanted his name again. With real feeling. United seemed to rely solely on drama en route to cup victory last season. You are ready for use again.

The first half of the regular season was virtually uneventful; a vivid contrast to what transpired afterwards. It was Fernandes who lit the touchpaper on 52 Minutes and what a finish it was. Alejandro Garnacho, who started ahead of Amad Diallo, crossed low from the right after counterattacking one-on-one with Gabriel, and the advance was bouncy and not smooth. Fernandes made it look easy, the technique was so pleasing to the eye, the first shot landed unerringly in the far top corner.

Arsenal ran the gauntlet, United reinforced it with their physicality. Yellow cards fluttered in their direction. Dalot got his first goal for a foul on Myles Lewis-Skelly after he was caught on the wrong side and played with fire as he jumped into a 50-50 with Mikel Merino. He didn’t get the ball and when Merino went off it was a fait accompli for referee Andrew Madley, who was having an extremely busy afternoon.

United were bitterly upset by this decision. There would be worse things to come for them. Havertz had missed the target with good placement in the 54th minute and Arsenal turned things around against the 10 men when Gabriel equalized at half-time after Bayindir failed to get within distance with a clearing strike. Gabriel was assisted by a deflection from Matthijs de Ligt.

Now came the controversy. Harry Maguire, a strong United defender, appeared to have held his own against Havertz and, at worst, stuck out an arm. However, Havertz went in and fell over, United glowing as Madley pointed to the top.

A scuffle broke out, there was anger everywhere; There were some direct duels, including Manuel Ugarte against Havertz, who went down again. Ødegaard had to wait to take the penalty and when he went to Bayindir’s left he found that the goalkeeper had read him.

It was a fabulous save and Bayindir wasn’t finished yet. He deflected a header from Declan Rice, who had come on as a substitute, and at the very end of normal time the goalkeeper caught another shot from Rice, this time from an angle from the left, and smuggled it past the goal on a further contribution.

At one point, Havertz had made a high throw from point-blank range after getting behind Fernandes; He seemed to have gotten away with a handball. No VAR, remember. Maybe Madley could have benefited from the help.

The spectacle was undermined in the first half of normal time by the protracted wrestling matches that broke out at Arsenal’s corners; When the home team delayed their takeover, it only prolonged the confusion. Is this what football has become? Madley had her hands full, especially trying to figure out who was faking what.

United’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool last weekend did little to make up for the numerous mistakes of recent weeks, which had accumulated in a run of six defeats in eight games. But it had changed the mood of the traveling fans, so that the usual pre-game sense of optimism was more pronounced. These fans would buckle up for an emotional ride. Everyone did that.

Mikel Arteta had optimized his Arsenal team. It was brave to do without Rice and Thomas Partey at the start and move Merino and Jorginho into midfield. Rice is not 100% fit. Gabriel Jesus started the game on the right wing but was sent off after the only notable incident in the first half. Next up was Raheem Sterling, who was in big trouble.

When Noussair blocked Mazraoui from the right, Fernandes was in position to find Jesus on the edge of the penalty area and as he lined up to shoot, he felt him nibbling him. Fernandes lost his boot in the incident but Madley did not call a foul, much to the anger of the United captain. When Fernandes collected his boot, he threw it away and was cautioned. However, Jesus broke something during the challenge and was carried away on a stretcher.

Amorim stuck with his back three after Dalot’s dismissal, which was more like a back five as the full-backs held on, and he mixed and adjusted as the game progressed until he ended up with Lisandro Martínez in the center forward position.

Arsenal thought they had scored in the first half of extra time when Havertz crossed for substitute Leandro Trossard, but De Ligt sensationally cleared under his own crossbar. United came back in the final stages. Zirkzee sidefooted just wide, while Diallo headed wide.