Cue up the 1999 footage before Friday night at the Emirates, plus Accrington, Newport and Shrewsbury all eye upsets
The difference between victory and defeat on Manchester United’s last trip to London, their 1-0 sneak past Tottenham at Wembley, was goalkeeper David de Gea’s stunning performance but he did not board the first-class train carriage taking Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s team to the capital. Instead, Sergio Romero will don the gloves with Lee Grant as reserve. Despite Romero being the Argentinian national team’s long-term first-choice, De Gea’s absence surely lifts Arsenal’s expectations. Solskjær has displayed old-school values since taking over, won the FA Cup twice with United, and started that legendary 1999 semi-final replay against Arsenal, but modern practice dictates reserve goalies getting their chance in the competition. Barring Unai Emery deciding to rotate out his leading strikers, that spells opportunity for Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. JB
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