London ¨C Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said his team is still improving, with Sunday¡¯s dramatic FA Cup penalty shootout victory over Arsenal pointing to a more positive future after a difficult start to life at Old Trafford.

United fans have suffered several false dawns in recent seasons, with development under Amorim¡¯s predecessors Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer largely a case of one step forward and two steps back.

Amorim may have wondered if he had taken on a poisoned chalice when a three-game unbeaten run to begin his reign was followed by a woeful run of results, with an unlikely victory over Manchester City in the middle.

But after outperforming expectations with a brilliant display against Liverpool last weekend, United followed that up against Arsenal to keep its FA Cup defense alive.

Amorim said he was particularly pleased with United¡¯s improvement compared to its 2-0 league defeat against Arsenal last month, when both the Gunners¡¯ goals came from set pieces.

¡°I think we played, especially in the first half, we played better than in the first game,¡± Amorim told reporters.

¡°We were better in set pieces today, more aggressive. We showed a different spirit, even with 10 men, we are improving on that aspect.¡±

Second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and forward Joshua Zirkzee were ultimately United¡¯s heroes on Sunday after facing recent criticism.

Zirkzee was booed off as a first-half substitute in last month¡¯s defeat to Newcastle United, while Bayindir was blamed for United¡¯s League Cup exit against Tottenham Hotspur.

But both were key contributors to United¡¯s third-round win, where it was reduced to 10 men, which Amorim said was a lesson for his squad.

¡°Your life as a footballer has cycles and moments and sometimes in one week your life can change,¡± he said.

¡°You can see Altay ¡ª against Tottenham everybody was pointing the finger (at) Altay, and I understand that and today he was our hero also.

¡°Joshua a few weeks ago had a small problem with our fans and today every time he¡¯s going on the pitch you feel the support from the fans.

¡°Then he has the last penalty, so life is like that and you have to continue (being) humble, to work every day, your time will come.¡±

Amorim also said he was not sure if forward Marcus Rashford, who was again left out of the squad, had played his last game for United.

¡°He¡¯s a player for Manchester United, we¡¯ll see, he has to work, he has to represent his club and he loves his club, but I have to make choices,¡± he said.