Manchester United Disgrace Themselves Against Arsenal as they Flop and Dive Out of FA Cup

I was incredibly proud of Arsenal’s performance in the FA Cup, and all Gooners should be. They showed tremendous composure, determination and grit to edge out their rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

But while Arsenal’s performance was admirable, Manchester United’s performance was less so.

While I’m normally of the impression that referee Michael Oliver isn’t too much of an Arsenal fan, he showed a just hand today in administering punishments. And Manchester United needed plenty of punishments.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

It all started around the fourth minute, when Marouane Fellaini did his best to re-break the nose of mask-less Francis Coquelin. Coquelin’s nose was running red again and it was pretty obvious that Fellaini knew what he was doing. That “never die” attitude (ManUtd.com) that Fellaini was praising after their skiddish win against Newcastle now appeared a bit comical.

But that wasn’t where Manchester United’s self-embarrassment ended, it was only the beginning.

Star-signing and somehow-compared-to-Alexis-Sanchez Angel Di Maria decided he’d take it on himself to earn his team a free kick. What he got was something else entirely. While cutting inside, Aaron Ramsey attempted to hold Di Maria’s hand, and in a move that Bastian Schweinsteiger would have been proud of, Di Maria writhed his way to the ground as if Ramsey had taken a kris to his spleen.

But when Di Maria got up expecting a free kick, Michael Oliver showed excellent refereeing in sticking the yellow card in Di Maria’s face. Then, rather rashly, the Argentine attempted to grab the referee, earning himself a walk home. I had always appreciated Di Maria and his skills, but this left a sour taste in my mouth, seeing him trying to flop his way to a goal and then losing his head and grabbing the ref.

More from Arsenal News

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

The final display of ineptitude came from Adnan Januzaj, who mentioned before the game that he “needed to make things happen” (ManUtd.com). And make things happen he did. Or at least he tried.

Januzaj was in the box in excellent position ahead of Nacho Monreal with a view on goal, but instead of pressing play, he went to ground. Whether he was looking for the foul or he just tripped himself up, United immediately began screaming for a penalty – a plea that made Monreal have a good chuckle, and rightfully so as the replay showed that Monreal was a good three feet behind the young forward.

While I don’t care to think about how Monreal got beat that bad, that late into the game, I do care to think about United moaning to Michael Oliver for a penalty.

All in all, it’s justice that Arsenal were able to pull out the win. They played a handsome game of football, outshining their rivals. United did more harm to themselves by their shameful displays of flopping, diving and moaning, but they can do all the moaning they want while they watch Arsenal press on in the FA Cup.

For more up-to-date news, follow Pain in the Arsenal on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

Next: Arsene Wenger's faith in Danny Welbeck admirable or foolish?