THE FA CUP third round draw led to furious reactions from a few disappointed fans, with some going as far as to describe it as “rigged”.
The third round draw’s most exciting tie is between Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United, who will face off on the weekend of January 11 at the Emirates.
In contrast, Arsenal and United’s rivals were drawn against lower-league opponents.
Manchester City got Salford, Chelsea drew Morecambe, Liverpool were paired with Accrington Stanley and Tottenham will face Tamworth.
And some fans believe the difference of quality between those ties makes the draw, which was conducted by former Manchester United players Mark Hughes and Dion Dublin, look suspicious.
One fan tweeted: “Absolutely f*****g rigged.”
Another commented: “That’s fixed. Arsenal vs Utd. I’m sure he (Dublin or Hughes) didn’t even mix them around.”
A third wrote: “Watching the FA Cup draw and what the hell.”
This fan said: “City vs Salford. Liverpool vs Accrington. Chelsea vs Morecambe… Arsenal vs United. Of course.”
And that one stated: “Calling fix, United getting drawn away to Arsenal, City getting Salford at home and Liverpool getting an effective nobody.”
But of course there is absolutely no indication that supports those wild claims.
Man Utd won the FA Cup last season thanks to a 2-1 win over rivals Man City in the Wembley final, which saved former manager Erik ten Hag’s job.
Arsenal v Man Utd FA Cup history
AFTER drawing each other in the third round of the FA Cup, it will be the 17th time Arsenal and Manchester United have faced off in the competition.
They previously met in the 1997 and 2005 finals, both won by Arsenal.
The last match came in 2019, which was won by United.
Overall Arsenal have six wins while United have eight, while they share two draws.
United’s tally of 22 goals is also superior to Arsenal’s 20 in these games.
Wayne Rooney is the top scorer in the fixture, with three of his goals against the North London side coming in the FA Cup.
Bukayo Saka leads Arsenal’s tally at the moment with six goals, though these have all been in the Premier League.
The Red Devils will be facing the most successful team in the competition’s history, with Arsenal winning the trophy a record 14 times.
However, if Ruben Amorim’s side were to go all the way they would draw level with the Gunners’ total.
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