• Manchester United defender pleased for Zirkzee
• Maguire wants improvement on ‘embarrassing’ 13th place

Harry Maguire has suggested video assistant referees are essential to the modern game, pointing to the controversial penalty that Arsenal won against him and his Manchester United team on Sunday to drive the argument.

Maguire was stunned to be penalised by the referee, Andrew Madley, in the 69th minute of the FA Cup third-round tie with the score at 1-1 and United down to 10 men after Diogo Dalot’s red card. The central defender had stood his ground against the Arsenal striker Kai Havertz, putting out an arm at worst only to watch his opponent tumble to the ground.

Today’s fluff twanged a muscle pulling on a Spider-Man suit

Despite Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being a cult hero at Napoli, who are four points clear at the top of Serie A under Antonio Conte, the Georgian wants out. PSG remain favourites to sign the winger, while Napoli may instead target Alejandro Garnacho, although the 20-year-old did start Manchester United’s FA Cup win over Arsenal on Sunday. Suddenly a £42m move to Italy does not look so likely, despite Argentinians famously doing rather well in Naples.

After all that fuss over Dani Olmo’s registration, or the lack of it, Barcelona were able to get the midfielder back on the books before the club’s victorious clásico Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, after which the Spaniard kissed the badge and gestured to the celebrating fans that he was staying. However, one person that could leave the Catalan club in January is Ronald Araújo, with the centre-back linked with Juventus.

Tamworth’s heroes deserve better, Pep Guardiola tries to fire up Jack Grealish and Liverpool’s teenagers impress

Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 tactics have little place in English football, it was said. Recent Manchester United performances of the resurrected Harry Maguire in tandem with Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt suggest it can work if with sufficient energy in midfield to protect the trio. Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo offer that, and the wing play of Alejandro Garnacho in setting up Bruno Fernandes’s goal, plus Amad Diallo’s raiding runs at the Emirates Stadium, suggest the framework of a team. Penalty hero Altay Bayindir revealed he is a capable goalkeeper, a possible cult hero. There are complications. The club’s finances, chickens of the Glazer ownership now coming home to roost, may trigger selling “pure profit” youth products like Garnacho and Mainoo to fund recruitment. There are significant miles to travel, but the previous weekend’s draw at Anfield, and this 10-man heist at Arsenal are signs of a motivated team playing for their manager, closely following instructions. About time, too. John Brewin

Match report: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United (3-5 on pens)

Match report: Brentford 0-1 Plymouth

Match report: Bristol City 1-2 Wolves

Match report: Tamworth 0-3 Tottenham

Match report: Leeds 1-0 Harrogate

Match report: Manchester City 8-0 Salford City

Match report: Liverpool 4-0 Accrington

Time will tell if Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford can turn around the negative effect their decisions have had on the club

Remember when Manchester United jacked up the cost of tickets for members from around £40 to £66 for the rest of the season? And, for good measure, scrapped the £25 concession for children and asked them to pay full price too? Of course you do. It was barely six weeks ago, on 27 November.

But, without fanfare or it being reported anywhere, that policy has been quietly dropped for Thursday’s match against Southampton at Old Trafford, along with the Ipswich game next month. Adult tickets are now £48. Under-16s are £25. And the further cost to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos’s reputation for competence? Incalculable.

Centre-back looks at home in Amorim’s defensive setup and showed leadership in moments of madness at Arsenal

It was always going to end like this, a fact that became essentially unavoidable with the sight of Joshua Zirkzee rotating his arms wildly towards the away end before the penalty shootout at the end of this 1-1 FA Cup third-round draw, shorts hitched up, chalk down one leg, transformed in that moment into Warrior-Zirkzee.

From that point it also seemed inevitable Kai Havertz, who had earlier fallen over a pocket of air to win a potentially game-turning penalty, would now produce the key miss, a spot-kick so weak he could have run after it, caught up, taken it back and had another go.

• Manchester United beat Arsenal on penalties in FA Cup
• ‘I felt since the first minute that today was our day’

A jubilant Ruben Amorim said he had sensed his Manchester United side would beat Arsenal at the outset of a controversial third round tie at the Emirates. Amorim’s side rode out a storm with 10 men to force penalties, sealing the win through Joshua Zirkzee’s clinical strike, and he claimed the outcome had been clear in his mind as soon as proceedings began.

“The players were really tired but I felt since the first minute that today was our day,” Amorim said. “I also felt a connection with our fans, our staff. It was a very good day for us in that aspect.”

Manchester United face Leicester after beating Arsenal while Villa host Tottenham and Brighton play Chelsea

That’s all from me! Simon Burnton is still live with all the reaction from Manchester United’s huge win over Arsenal, so feel free to hop over and join him!

Full-time at St Mary’s and Southampton have booked their spot in the fourth round. They will face Burnley at home.

Joshua Zirkzee had heard his name chanted to the Emirates Stadium rafters by the travelling Manchester United fans when he was introduced as a substitute. There has been a concerted effort by them to build a few bridges after what happened against Newcastle at the end of December: Zirkzee applauded off after his 33rd minute withdrawal, a shattering low.

When the full-time whistle went here, this FA Cup third round tie locked at 1-1, Zirkzee turned towards the United support to whip them up. The connection had been restored. And it simply had to be Zirkzee who stepped forward at the end of the shootout with the kick to win it.

• Updates from the 3pm GMT kick-off at the Emirates
• Get in touch! Share your thoughts in an email to Simon

A shock! Doncaster Rovers, seventh in League Two, have knocked out Championship struggler Hull on penalties, away from home, after a 1-1 draw.

Spurs take a 2-0 lead, as at the Emirates Stadium the players gather in the tunnel.

This week PSR swings into action, with past points deductions against Everton and Forest a stark warning

The Premier League will issue disciplinary charges this week against any clubs it deems to have breached its profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) for the 2021-24 accounting period.

Under a fast-track process introduced 18 months ago clubs who have recorded losses for the first two years of the reporting cycle were required to submit their accounts for the financial year ending June 2024 to the Premier League by 31 December. The Premier League has given its financial and legal departments 14 days to study the books of those clubs in danger of a PSR breach, and is expected to issue any charges on Monday and Tuesday.

• ‘You guys think he is the finished product … he is not’
• United would consider substantial offer for 19-year-old

Ruben Amorim has warned Kobbie Mainoo to not believe the hype that he is the “finished article” and to focus on improving, amid negotiations over the teenager’s future at Manchester United.

The 19-year-old midfielder, whose contract runs until 2027 with the option of another year, has been a regular for United since progressing to the first team from the club’s academy and is seeking an increase on his £20,000-per-week salary. Mainoo’s partnership with Manuel Ugarte has given cause for optimism and the duo could start together again on Sunday as United travel to Arsenal, where Amorim suffered the first defeat of his reign, in the third round of the FA Cup.

Accrington face the ultimate test, long throws await Spurs and there’s a potential blockbuster in north London

“We’re aware we were once mentioned in a milk advert,” reads the bio on Accrington Stanley’s X page. “We hear ‘Who are they?’ and ‘Exactly’ a lot.” Don’t be misled by the weary tone regarding their mention in the famous 1989 Milk Marketing Board advertisement, for which the club received £10,000. The connection has always been embraced and never more so than in the buildup to their third round visit to Liverpool, the Premier League leaders. As the Accrington captain Seamus Conneely said: “We’ve made it to third and fourth rounds before, we’ve had League Cup runs and played in some great stadiums, but we’ve finally got that big one. Liverpool is going to top it all.” Accrington have sold their entire 4,700-ticket allocation and the tie is of huge significance to the striker Josh Woods, a boyhood Liverpool fan whose reaction to the draw went viral and prompted a reply from Ibrahima Konaté. Liam Coyle is another Red who started out in Liverpool’s academy, while the management team of John Doolan and Ged Brannan are also from Liverpool. This is an FA Cup moment to cherish. Andy Hunter

Liverpool v Accrington Stanley, Saturday 12.15pm (all times GMT)

Brentford v Plymouth Argyle, Saturday 3pm

Bristol City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Saturday 12pm

Chelsea v Morecambe, Saturday 3pm

Leeds v Harrogate Town, Saturday 5.45pm

Manchester City v Salford City, Saturday 5.45pm

• 22-year-old has had breakout season at Old Trafford
• Ivorian says: ‘I fully believe that we are on the right path’

Amad Diallo has signed a new long-term deal with Manchester United, committing to the club until June 2030. The agreement comes as the 22-year-old is enjoying a breakout season at Old Trafford, despite the team’s poor campaign overall.

Diallo has six goals and seven assists in all competitions this term, including scoring the winner for United at local rivals Manchester City last month and netting again to secure a draw at Anfield last weekend. His previous deal had been due to expire at the end of the season.

• United not seeking to offload but trio not untouchable
• Offers will also be considered for Yoro, De Ligt and Ugarte

Manchester United will listen to serious offers for any of Ruben Amorim’s squad, including Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund, who were previously deemed untouchable.

United are not actively seeking to offload the trio but there is recognition from Sir Jim Ratcliffe that the club have been poor sellers. With finance limited because of profitability and sustainability rules, sales have to become a key part of healthy squad management.

Today’s rumours think about your dumb face all the time

Manchester United seem to be plotting a double raid on Paris Saint-Germain, after identifying Randal Kolo Muani as the answer to their striking problems and Nuno Mendes as their ideal left-back, though neither transfer looks straightforward. Muani, who moved to the Parc des Princes for £77m only 16 months ago and has scored twice in 14 appearances this season, could be available on loan and is also interesting Tottenham while also finding himself on a three-man shortlist drawn up by Juventus, where he is joined by United’s own Joshua Zirkzee and West Ham’s mostly-injured Niclas Füllkrug – the Old Lady are hoping to free up funds by selling the former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz back into the Premier League, with Manchester City one of three clubs they have offered him to.

Mendes meanwhile is in the final 18 months of his contract in France, and the Telegraph reports that “there have been several discussions” between United and the 22-year-old’s representatives, but also that PSG are hoping to convince him to sign a new deal and that there are “doubts he will demand a transfer during this window”.

• Arrests followed Manchester United’s trip to Liverpool
• Another six detained and asked to attend interviews

Police arrested two men, including one from Tennessee, and detained eight people in total following reports of tragedy chanting at Sunday’s Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester United.

A 28-year-old man from Hendersonville, Tennessee in the US, and a 46-year-old man from Church Warsop in Nottinghamshire were arrested by Merseyside police under section 5 of the Public Order Act (tragedy chanting).

• Milan want United to foot much of Rashford’s salary
• Juventus interested in loan deal for Netherlands forward

Marcus Rashford is being targeted by Milan regarding a potential loan, with any deal dependent on Manchester United paying a sizeable portion of the forward’s salary of about £365,000 a week.

Whether United are willing to do so is yet to be decided. It is not their preference to provide a considerable percentage of Rashford’s wage, which makes him United’s highest-paid player. But Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls football policy, may decide Rashford departing for the rest of the season is in the best interests of all parties, particularly the head coach, Ruben Amorim.

Bitter rivalries are being set aside, as supporters join forces to push back against ‘absolute disgrace’ of cost increases

Some issues transcend the biggest rivalry in the Premier League, as the sight of a Manchester United banner outside the Kop on Sunday underlined. Before Liverpool and United shared a point inside Anfield supporters of both clubs joined forces to make one about rising ticket prices and the attack on concessions in the world’s richest football league.

“There is an irony to this,” said the United fan Steve Crompton. “What we are trying to protect is us going into the ground and hating each other for 90 minutes, and yet here we are. This rivalry is part of the Premier League’s product. If you fill the ground with corporates the atmosphere will eventually disappear and so will the ‘legacy fans’, as we get labelled.”

Guardiola warns Grealish over Savinho, Southampton hit new low and is Arsenal’s negativity holding them back?

So much about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s display on Sunday was puzzling. Real Madrid’s now-public courtship may have had something to do with it, but at times it felt he was being hung out to dry. Poorly as he played, he was deliberately exposed by his own team, left to deal with whatever threats Manchester United could conjure down their left flank while the only players likely to drop back and help him out, Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch, rarely did so. When it became obvious that he was having an off day, nothing was done to cover for it and nurse him back into the game. When his own poor clearance was returned in the buildup to United’s opening goal it found him briefly with four opponents to deal with by himself, demonstrating that Liverpool’s problems down the right were not just an individual but a systemic issue. He is (usually) an astonishingly good player, but miracles will sometimes be beyond him. Simon Burnton

• Manager demands more of the same after 2-2 draw
• ‘Training and match, we need to face every day like that’

Ruben Amorim said Manchester United’s mentality was key to a vast improvement against Liverpool and admitted Bruno Fernandes was right to be upset at the team’s inability to deliver every week.

United ended a run of four defeats in all competitions with a spirited draw secured by Amad Diallo’s 80th-minute equaliser at the Premier League leaders, who missed the opportunity to move eight points clear of Arsenal with a game in hand.