Manchester United star at risk of 3-match ban for incident referee failed to notice in FA Cup win against Arsenal

Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte could face a three-game ban for headbutting Arsenal's Kai Havertz during the FA Cup tie on Sunday (January 12) at the Emirates. The Gunners have fared better than the Red Devils this season, but it was the visitors who took the lead through Bruno Fernandes in the 52nd minute.

However, Manchester United were soon down to 10 men after Diogo Dalot picked up a second yellow in the 61st minute. Two minutes later, Arsenal were level, thanks to a Gabriel strike that deflected off Matthijs de Ligt.

The Gunners were awarded a penalty when Kai Havertz went down after minimal contact from Harry Maguire. Referee Andy Madley pointed to the spot, with no VAR to assess the incident.

The English defender was furious with the decision and confronted Havertz. A scuffle broke out and Manuel Ugarte appeared to thrust his head toward the German forward, who fell.

The incident appeared to skip the referee's attention as the Uruguayan escaped without a booking. However, Gabriel, Magurie, and Havertz were all shown yellow cards.

The FA could now take retrospective action against Ugarte. The 23-year-old could be handed a three-game ban if the incident is deemed violent conduct.

Martin Odegaard stepped up to take the penalty, but it was saved by Altay Bayindir. The Turkish goalkeeper kickstarted an impressive fightback, as 10-men Manchester United managed to keep Arsenal at bay and took the game to penalties. Bayindir, ironically, saved Havertz's spot kick to power the Red Devils to the Fourth Round, where they will face Leicester City on February 8.

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When are Manchester United back in action?

Ruben Amorim

Manchester United return to action on Thursday (January 16) when they host Southampton at Old Trafford in the Premier League. The Red Devils have struggled to impress in the league this season and are 13th on the table after 20 games.

Ruben Amorim was handed the keys to the first team squad in November last year after a poor run of form cost Erik ten Hag the job. The former Sporting CP manager arrived at Manchester United with an enviable CV but has endured mixed results so far.

The Red Devils have five wins and six defeats in their 13 games under the Portuguese, although they have shown promising signs of late. Amorim has now overseen away wins against Manchester City and Arsenal, and an entertaining 2-2 draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool on January 5.