Welbeck returns to haunt van Gaal
Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck celebrates after scoring the winner on his return to Manchester United
DANNY WELBECK didn’t bother trying to win any more friends at Ol d Trafford. He didn’t hang his head or look mildly embarrassed or ashamed. When the ball hit the net for the goal that would dump Manchester United out of the FA Cup, Welbeck went wild.
So he should. He wanted them, they didn’t want him — for what is he apologising?
‘A substitute, not a line- up player,’ that was Louis van Gaal’s explanation for selling him to Arsenal in the summer transfer window. ‘I don’t have to prove I was right — if that was not a good enough reason, then I’m not a good manager.’
Welbeck will l ove that part, chipping away at another crack in the van Gaal regime. United’s fans did not want him to leave — he was applauded off in the 72nd minute, despite his goal — because they like local lads here. Welbeck returning to deny United their last remaining tilt at a trophy will seem like poetic justice to some.
It was a painful decider, too. A long hoof upfield was chested down by Phil Jones to Antonio Valencia under pressure. Closed down swiftly, he panicked and played a pass back to goalkeeper David de Gea. It was underhit and Welbeck was onto it in a flash.
He knocked it past de Gea, who was then stranded in no man’s land, and finished into an empty net. After that, Welbeck partied like it was 1999.
It is easy to pine for the days when the rumble of a match between United and Arsenal felt like a Las Vegas prize fight, when the sparring began in the manager’s press conferences and continued i n the tunnel and when the animosity that existed between players like Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira did not end with the handshake at the final whistle.
To Arsenal’s credit they were willing to take the game to the home side and i t was Alexis Sanchez, after three minutes, who signalled this positive intent.
He burst into the United area, was shut out, hustled for the ball again and had another go.
At the other end, meanwhile, Ashley Young t or e at t he inexperienced Hector Bellerin, who picked up a fourth-minute booking.
Marouane Fellaini has emerged as an unlikely mainstay of the van Gaal regime and he was the perfect target for Angel di Maria after 20 minutes, chesting the ball down and feeding it back to Young, who shot wide.
Fellaini got into an even better position soon after but failed to bring the ball under control, and the moment passed.
One thing that has not changed about Arsenal over the years is their unusual route to goal.
They get into good crossing positions, and work the ball out and round instead, they are perfectly placed to shoot but pass instead. And, sometimes, it pays off. When it does, it produces goals like the one scored here, after 25 minutes.
Nacho Monreal slipped a pass inside to Mesut Ozil, who carried the ball inside from the left, roughly 25 yards out. Space opened up to invite the shot, but instead he played a square ball out to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right.
At first it seemed a puzzling decision and t hen Oxlade - Chamberlain burst towards the penalty area, taking on and beating Shaw, Valencia and Chris Smalling, before finding Monreal, now bursting into vacant space with only de Gea to beat.
His finish was perfect, making a nonsense of the fact it was only his second goal for the club.
It was no more than Arsenal deserved. Their play had been livelier and more effective, but United are finding ways to win — or at least not lose this season — and their response spoke volumes for their fight.
Di Maria has been a problem patient for much of this season, but this was one of his better games and his cross f or the equaliser just four minutes later was a reminder of what a superb player he can be, on form.
From the right, it bisected Arsenal centre-halves Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, falling on the head of Wayne Rooney who, throwing himself at the ball from close range, left Wojciech Szczesny with no chance.
From there, United were in the ascendancy. In the 33rd minute, di Maria tested Arsenal again, Arsenal’s goalkeeper fumbling the ball and almost handing Rooney his second.
From the l ast attack of the first-half, a through pass by Valencia l eft di Maria one- on- one but Szczesny saved with his feet.
For United and van Gaal, worse was to come. The night ended in ignominy.
Di Maria went down a little too easily under pressure from Aaron Ramsey — there was contact, but it was a tiny pull and nothing that would cause a man’s legs to buckle — was booked, and pulled at referee Michael Oliver’s shirt protesting his innocence.
The result? A second yellow card and a walk to the tunnel . Incredibly, some applauded him.
If anything, though, a dive by Adnan Januzaj with three minutes remaining was worse.