Arsenal survived a dramatic night at Bramall Lane to book themselves a quarter-final against Bolton, with Alan Quinn and Jon Harley missing penalties in the penalty shoot-out which followed a goalless 120 minutes.
Despite lacking the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and
Jose Antonio Reyes through suspension and injuries, it was Arsenal who had the
better of the chances.
Pascal Cygan, Jeremie Aliadiere, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and Cesc Fabregas all had
chances, but the thrilling tie went all the way to spot-kicks.
Quinn and Harley failed where Arsenal's players all succeeded, with goalkeeper
Manuel Almunia saving both to make himself the hero.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger went into his side's fifth-round replay at
Bramall Lane without the injured Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell and Robert Pires
plus suspended trio Dennis Bergkamp, Jose Antonio Reyes and Robin van Persie.
Arturo Lupoli, just 17, joined makeshift forward Freddie Ljungberg in attack.
The Blades had Paddy Kenny in goal after passing a late fitness test on a hip
injury, while Paul Thirlwell returned after serving a one-match ban.
United should have taken the lead with just 39 seconds elapsed as Arsenal were
caught cold at the back.
Derek Geary's ball down the right wing found Andy Gray, who had timed his run
to perfection to avoid being caught offside.
His dart into the penalty area drew Manuel Almunia, and he cut the ball back
to Michael Tonge in the six-yard box, but the midfielder fired high and wide
past an empty goal from five yards.
Cygan needed treatment in the fifth minute after being caught by a high boot
on the side of the head from Gray, and the game settled down into a predictable
pattern.
The Gunners dominated possession yet neither Ljungberg nor Lupoli seemed
capable of holding up the ball - so United were comfortably able to cope with
any impending danger.
Arsenal's first chance did not materialise until the 16th minute with Cesc
Fabregas playing a ball into Lupoli on the edge of the area, who in turn fed
Ljungberg for a flicked shot with the outside of his right boot from 12 yards
that finished two yards wide.
The first booking followed in the 26th minute when referee Phil Dowd cautioned
Gael Clichy, playing at left-back with Ashley Cole on the left wing, for a
mis-timed challenge on Geary deep in Arsenal territory, although Harley's
free-kick came to nothing.
In the absence of any goalmouth incidents, the needle factor started to rise
between the two teams.
Kenny, clearly nursing his injury, was finally tested five minutes from the
break, albeit in merely cutting out a cross from Patrick Vieira at the second
time of asking.
Wenger made a change at the break, taking off Lupoli and replacing him with
Quincy.
Inside a minute of the second half, the Gunners were caught asleep in defence
again, as they had been at the outset of the game, this time Nick Montgomery the
provider from the right.
Tonge and Liddell both failed to make contact as the ball was whipped into the
box, and although it eventually fell to Harley, he miskicked from six yards.
Five minutes later, Kenny made his first meaningful save as he tipped away an
angled drive from Quincy.
Arsenal were just beginning to gather some momentum, with Quincy popping up on
the left wing in the 56th minute for a cross Kenny tipped into the path of
Fabregas whose drive was then kept out by the outstretched right boot of the
Republic of Ireland international.
That was followed two minutes later when Vieira's through-ball for Fabregas
split the home defence, and although the Spaniard's shot beat Kenny, Geary was
on hand to scoop the ball over the bar.
Fabregas struck the top of the crossbar with a cracking drive after a driving
run from Vieira, who was then involved in a clash of heads with Montgomery which
resulted in both players requiring treatment.
The Gunners then proceeded to thoroughly outplay United over the closing 20
minutes of the half.
Yet Warnock's side did come close in the 81st minute in a rare breather, with
skipper Chris Morgan flicking narrowly over the bar a long-range throw from
Leigh Bromby.
Three minutes later, it took another Kenny save low down to his near post to
deny the unfortunate Fabregas again after he had been played in by Quincy.
In the first of three minutes of injury time Almunia made a stunning save to
tip over a bullet header from Harley from eight yards after Geary had whipped in
a superb cross.
The extra 30 minutes brought several chances for the visitors, with Cygan
guilty of a glaring miss from six yards for Arsenal and substitute Aliadiere
being foiled by Kenny within seconds of entering the fray.
But it was to go to penalties and Arsenal prevailed, with Quinn and Harley
both failing from the spot - Vieira, Cole, Lauren and Ljungberg all succeeding
from 12 yards as the Gunners booked themselves a place in the last eight.
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