Positives & negatives from Arsenal's FA Cup penalty shootout loss to Man Utd

Arsenal's FA Cup journey ended with a whimper after losing 5-3 on penalties to 10-man Manchester United in the third round.

Gabriel Magalhaes cancelled out Bruno Fernandes' opening goal, but the Gunners couldn't break down a United side reduced to ten men after Diogo Dalot received a second yellow card.

It was left to substitute Joshua Zirkzee to put the hosts out of their misery by calmly slotting past David Raya to cap the shooutout at the Emirates Stadium. The game had only gotten that far because Odegaard had a penalty saved by United backup stopper Altar Bayindir in normal time, before Havertz saw his effort rebuffed as part of sudden-death spot-kicks.

Havertz and Odegaard toiled to little effect all day as the supposed leading lights of a forward line made to look less than ordinary by the absence of Bukayo Saka. Things are likely to get worse after Gabriel Jesus left the fray on a stretcher, leaving Arteta's squad without a natural striker.

Explaining that blank spot is just one of the questions a manager encased for too long in a protective bubble should have to answer.

Positives & negatives from Arsenal's FA Cup penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United

Positive #1: More scrutiny for Mikel Arteta

It's long overdue, but yet another cup setback should mean some welcome scrutiny and pressure on Arteta and his virtually unchecked position of power. The man who's had more money and time than ten managers in his position could've expected to receive has done precious little to reward Arsenal's considerable, but misguided faith in his so-called "project."

The uber-expensive "process" could be lurching toward a fifth full season without silverware. It's impossible to reconcile such a drought with a manager lauded by many Arsenal fans, as well as media pundits with an interest in the club, as being "revolutionary" or "generational."

If he's all those things, why aren't Arsenal dominating? If Arsene Wenger was the out-of-touch dinosaur who regarded defending as a dirty word, why haven't the Gunners thrived since he was forced out ahead of schedule in 2018?

Isn't that what we were promised by all the Wenger Out mob for years? Has somebody misplaced the map to the land of milk and honey?

It's more likely Arteta has rewritten the map to his own idiosyncratic specifications. One where rotation is outlawed and a starting XI gets recycled until many of its key members break down. Add in a recruitment drive almost exclusively geared to stopping goals than scoring them, and you get an attack-shy team crippled by an injury crisis very much of the manager's own making.

The Arteta spec list requires blind devotion and taking consolation not in trophies, but untouchable intangibles, like so-called greater unity between the fans and supporters. If this is your Arsenal, are you sure you even want it back?

Wait and marvel at how unified everybody actually is behind this apparent revolution if results continue this way. Just don't forget to make room for the return of the banners...

Negative #1: Gabriel Jesus injury

Arsenal's No. 9 inching back toward his best form was papering over a lot of the cracks in attack. Jesus had been offering some muscle, direct running and an opportunistic streak that turned half-chances into goals.

His efforts were masking the ongoing struggles of Havertz to lead the line. Jesus' instincts in the box were also making up for the alarming lack of creative guile since Saka's hamstring went bust.

All of those things will now be firmly under an unforgiving spotlight after Jesus was stretchered off five minutes before the break. The collision with Lisandro Martinez left Jesus favouring his knee, and Mikel Arteta's reaction to the sight of Jesus lying forlorn spoke volumes about the extent of the problem.

That problem is only going to get bigger the longer Arteta goes without coming up with new ideas to fix the forward line.

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