Deadly Dan back to his best at last
IT is entirely likely that Danny Welbeck will return to the bench on Saturday. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette waiting in the wings, it is hard to formulate an argument for the Arsenal forward to start against Watford.
But Welbeck will have reason to feel hard done by. The attacker took his season’s goal tally to four last night — his first-half brace securing Unai Emery’s men a place in the Carabao Cup fourth round despite a late rally from Championship side Brentford.
Welbeck is Arsenal’s joint top goalscorer and it is quite the quandary for Emery. A further issue is Welbeck’s contractual situation. With nine months left on his current deal, the 27-year-old can leave for nothing at the end of the season.
More days like this and you would imagine he will be called in for talks pretty sharpish. It wasn’t just his goals against Brentford. He looks sharp, he looks fit — the injuries that have blighted his Arsenal career look to be behind him.
‘Danny might have more chances to find himself in the first XI for the next matches with performances like today,’ said Emery. ‘He’s doing very well.’ On Welbeck’s contract talks, Emery added: ‘I know they had contact with the club last year but for me the focus is just on each match. It’s for the club and the player.’
Welbeck got Arsenal’s evening off to a flying start, rising above everyone to plant a firm header from Matteo Guendouzi’s cross past Luke Daniels in the sixth minute.
Brentford manager Dean Smith had seen his side’s game plan go up in smoke before they could even settle. His side sit seventh after a promising start to the Championship season but they were outclassed here.
Had Alex Iwobi been slightly less honest Arsenal could have been awarded a 20th-minute penalty. Julian Jeanvier hacked at the Nigeria international but Iwobi stayed on his feet.
This was all too easy for Arsenal and their second arrived eight minutes before half time, Welbeck tapping into an empty net from Nacho Monreal’s pass.
The second half looked likely to go the same way as the first, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Iwobi missing chances just after the restart.
But, out of nowhere, Brentford clawed their way back into the tie. From 25 yards out, Alan Judge dipped and curled a brilliant free-kick around the Arsenal wall and past German goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Judge fired again, forcing Leno, who was looking far from comfortable, into a save from distance as the visitors searched for a leveller.
Brentford defender Yoann Barbet had his penalty appeal in the final minute turned down before Lacazette came off the bench to score a third for Arsenal as the Gunners stretched their winning run to six games.
lAARON RAMSEY is set to leave Arsenal at the end of the season after talks over an extension to his deal collapsed. The Wales star, 27, was ready to commit to fresh terms but, despite having only nine months left on his contract, there is now no deal on the table.