THANKS A BUNDLE, WELBECK

Arsenal striker’s scrappy winner dumps old boss Moyes out of cup

ONE shot on goal. Just one between two Premier League clubs contesting the quarterfinal of a cup. And, oh my, it was ugly, that sorry journey for the ball from Danny Welbeck’s stomach down to his shin before it bobbled into the space under Joe Hart.

But thank goodness for that sliver of space, thank goodness that this game played under the banner of an energy drink had one moment where it wasn’t utterly lifeless.

Perhaps the most entertaining part of the whole evening was Arsene Wenger describing the match as ‘intense’. There is more intensity, and more suspense, in an episode of Peppa Pig.

And there is a sadness in that, because whatever else is going on for these two clubs in the league, the fact remains that there are only a few short steps left on this competition’s pot-holed pavement to Wembley, and this was an opportunity worth fighting for.

Granted, Arsene Wenger has never paid it much attention, this trophy which remains the final domestic frontier of his time in England. Judging from the fact he swapped out the entire Premier League side that faced Newcastle on Saturday for this game, you would suspect that he might find a way to sleep at night if this cup remains the one that got away. But West Ham? OK, the proximity of the bottom three in the league probably means the Cup was a distraction they could do without. But that would ignore the improvements in their league form which meant a tilt at a trophy, a sniff at something approaching glory, was still possible.

In an otherwise miserable season, it is a shame that such excitements appear to count for little.

That they went down without registering so much as a shot on target? It was actually quite embarrassing.

But at least Welbeck got something out of all this. He hadn’t scored in eight games since his latest comeback in November, so the hope in a World Cup year will be for a belated run of goals. In that context, they will all count, even the desperately scruffy ones in games that precious few seem to care about.

‘He scored and that will be good for him,’ Wenger said. ‘He also lasted 90 minutes so it is positive.’ Less encouraging was the secondhalf hamstring injury to Olivier Giroud, who was immediately ruled out of Friday’s clash with Liverpool and most likely the next three weeks.

‘We will have a scan on Thursday and then we will have a precise idea of the grade (the problem),’ Wenger said. ‘Olivier says the pain is quite big.’

David Moyes was quite downbeat. It would be hard to blame the West Ham manager too much for this match considering the improvements he has overseen since replacing Slaven Bilic, with a three-game unbeaten run in the league having transformed the outlook of their season.

That has been built on a vastly improved defence, which is perhaps why he was so dissatisfied after this one, given Welbeck’s 42nd-minute winner owed much to West Ham’s failure to pressure a Mathieu Debuchy cross and then the failure of Winston Reid and James Collins to stop Welbeck.

Moyes, who managed Welbeck at Manchester United, said: ‘I was disappointed with our overall performance but we were always in the game.

‘The goal was disappointing. It was a horrible goal to give away because we have been defending well. The first ball to the back post, the Debuchy header, I would have wanted us to be closer to him. Then I am hoping the centre halves can clear it out. It wasn’t what you would call an Arsenal goal.’

From the West Ham perspective, Moyes’ team selection at least hinted at a fighting mentality. They made six changes to the side that walloped Stoke — not a huge number by the standards of Premier League teams in this competition — and notably gave Joe Hart his first start in five games.

There was also a late elevation for Domingos Quina after Manuel Lanzini’s appeal against a twomatch diving ban was knocked back by the FA. ‘A disappointing decision,’ Moyes said.

Arsenal went with a diminished yet experienced side, with 18-yearold Joe Willock the only inclusion in that starting XI who might be termed a ‘kid’.

The upshot? A desperately unimaginative game until Welbeck scored.

There was one meaningful chance before the goal, when Sead Kolasinac crossed for Theo Walcott. The forward was square in the middle of the area, about 10 yards out and without a marker in sight, and he probably could have controlled and finished. Instead went for a diving header and fluffed it horribly. To miss the target was a desperate look for a player who used to quite fancy himself as a striker.

But Arsenal went ahead three minutes before the break, with Debuchy looping his header over Collins, and Welbeck lunging ahead of Reid to reach the loose ball.

West Ham didn’t have a sniff until Aaron Cresswell sent a second-half free-kick wide. Arsenal’s chant? ‘You’ve had a shot, you’ve had a shot’.

Barring the goal, it was probably the most fun they had all match. ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ospina 6; Debuchy 6.5, Chambers 6, Holding 6.5, Kolasinac 7; Coquelin 6.5 (Da Silva 90), Elneny 6; Walcott 5, Willock 6 (Sheaf 84), WELBECK 7.5; Giroud 5.5 (Nelson 78). Subs not used: Macey, ReineAdelaide, Akpom, Nketiah. Scorer: Welbeck 42. Booked: None. Manager: Arsene Wenger 6. WEST HAM (3-5-2): Hart 6; Reid 6.5, Collins 5.5, Ogbonna 6.5; Cresswell 6 (Carroll 65, 6), Rice 6, Obiang 7, Quina 6 (Arnautovic 83), Masuaku 6; Hernandez 5.5 (Sakho 65, 6), Ayew 5.5. Subs not used: Adrian, Zabaleta, Makasi, Haksabanovic. Booked: Hart. Manager: David Moyes 5.5. Referee: Kevin Friend 6. Attendance: 44,741.