It was a horrible day at the office for Mikel Arteta's frontline, with a barrage of missed chances costing them a place in the fourth round.
Arsenal failed to take advantage of Manchester United playing around an hour with 10 men as they were held 1-1 by the Red Devils in the third round of the FA Cup before losing out on penalties on Sunday.
Arsenal thought they had taken the lead through Gabriel Martinelli after he appeared to beat the offside trap, but as he rolled the ball into the net, the linesman's flag was raised. The first half otherwise passed in a flash, but the game sparked into life after the break.
As they have done on their last few visits to the Emirates, United took the lead. A switch of play from Harry Maguire was not cleared by Gabriel Magalhaes and was pounced upon by Alejandro Garnacho, who broke away with pace before squaring to Bruno Fernandes, who finished emphatically.
However, the lead did not last long as 10 minutes later chaos reigned. Diogo Dalot saw red for a ridiculous tackle on Mikel Merino that led to a second yellow card, and less than two minutes later, Arsenal had the ball in the back of the net courtesy of a smart turn and finish from Gabriel, although Altay Bayindir's rogue punch straight into the air in the build-up was rightfully questioned.
The game seemed to have a theme of redemption, and after Gabriel made up for his mistake, Bayindir followed suit. Maguire was deemed to have fouled Kai Havertz in the box by referee Andy Madley, but Martin Odegaard's spot-kick was saved well by the Turkish international.
With no further breakthrough after 90 minutes, fans were treated to extra-time, but there was little goalmouth action as penalties loomed. Substitute Declan Rice saw a low effort saved at one end, while Joshua Zirkzee forced the same outcome at the other.
The shootout saw plenty of good strikes, but Havertz – the man who missed so many chances in the game – failed to convert for the hosts as United did not miss a single effort, with Zirkzee confirming their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
GOAL rates Arsenal players from the Emirates…
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David Raya (7/10):
Made some smart stops and a big save from Zirkzee in extra-time to deny United what may have been a winner.
Jurrien Timber (7/10):
Dealt with any United threats comfortably, forcing the visitors to stage most of their attacks down the opposite flank through Garnacho and Amad.
William Saliba (5/10):
Struggled against Hojlund's physicality until the Dane was withdrawn. Looked was slightly off the pace.
Gabriel Magalhaes (6/10):
Had a mixed afternoon after his tame clearance cost Arsenal a goal, but the defender redeemed himself with the equaliser in the second half.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (6/10):
Was beaten by Garnacho more than once on the left and his aggressive nature left a lot of risk at the back, particularly with United playing on the counter-attack.
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Martin Odegaard (5/10):
Failed to step up in the big moment for Arsenal, missing a penalty which would have put his side in full control of the tie, but did bury his effort in the shoot-out
Jorginho (6/10):
Was rarely mentioned in the game but did his usual dirty work in midfield, sweeping up and keeping the Gunners on the front foot.
Mikel Merino (5/10):
Aside from one effort at goal, the Spaniard was not able to add much quality and it was no surprise to see him replaced by Rice.
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Kai Havertz (3/10):
Involved in a few clashes with United players, including after the penalty was awarded, and lacked a clinical edge in the final third, scuffing more than one shot at goal. Missing a penalty in the shoot-out capped off a day to forget for the ex-Chelsea man.
Gabriel Jesus (6/10):
Was growing into the game with his fluid movement before suffering an unfortunate knee injury in the first half, which required the Brazilian to be stretchered off.
Gabriel Martinelli (7/10):
Impressed in the first half with his pace and was unfortunate to see a goal ruled out through offside, but his influence dropped in the second half.
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Raheem Sterling (5/10):
Replaced the injured Jesus, but as usual left much to be desired, looking a shadow of his former self.
Declan Rice (7/10):
Saw a brilliant header saved with 15 minutes to go at 1-1, but certainly made an impact off the bench.
Leandro Trossard (6/10):
Replaced the tired Lewis-Skelly and had a golden chance to score in extra-time but could not tap into an empty net.
Thomas Partey (6/10):
Added some fresh legs in extra-time as Arsenal pushed for a winner.
Kieran Tierney (N/A):
Saw seven minutes of action with Jorginho hobbling off late on.
Mikel Arteta (6/10):
Did not have too many options available from the bench, but introduced Rice at an important time in the match before adding fresh legs for extra time.