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FA Cup exit is a disaster for Arsenal, but could it free time for a much-needed Dubai trip?

Sunday’s FA Cup defeat against Manchester United was a complete disaster for Arsenal. It’s really tough to look at it any of the way.

In terms of the result, it was obviously hugely disappointing to get knocked out of the cup at home in the third round stage for the second successive season.

But it really does feel like the potential implications of the defeat make it even worse.

This was a game Mikel Arteta was clearly determined to win. With two huge Premier League fixtures to come on Wednesday night against Spurs and against Aston Villa on Saturday, Arsenal’s manager could have rotated far more than he did.

But aside from shaking things up a bit in midfield, he went as strong as he could go and the majority of those players had to put 120 energy sapping minutes into their legs.

And the ones who didn’t, limped off injured or - in Gabriel Jesus’ case - left the pitch on a stretcher and could well now be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

Given the injury issues that are already hurting Arsenal, it was the worst case scenario and then the manner of how the defeat actually happened made things even more damaging.

You had players who were out of form and short of confidence missing huge chances to win the game in Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard and then you had the morale-crushing finale of exiting on penalties against a team who had played with 10 men for such a large period of the contest.

It really did feel like an immensely damaging night for Arsenal. One that could be incredibly difficult to bounce back from.