miles from here dreaming of
hearing his name ring around this
famous stadium after scoring a
winning goal.
But the Manchester United academy product won’t have
expected it to be like this.
As he was substituted 16 minutes from time, Welbeck’s name
was sung loud and proud by the army of 9,000 Arsenal
supporters, while many home fans booed the boy from
Longsight with venom.
Perhaps in one sense the United support were voicing their
displeasure about the sale last summer of one of their
brightest local prospects to a rival club.
Maybe they were angry that Welbeck had celebrated after
scoring the goal that put Arsenal 2-1 up and booked their place
in the FA Cup semi-finals as they look to retain their trophy.
Most likely, the United fans were fed up with yet another
pedestrian performance from their team.
United were sunk by Welbeck’s strike just after the hour mark
after the £16 million striker latched on to Antonio Valencia’s
horrific backpass, rounded David De Gea and slotted into an
empty net.
Arsenal had opened the scoring through Nacho Monreal’s
strike at the end of a fine team move before Wayne Rooney
equalised shortly afterwards with a header from a fine Angel Di
Maria cross – a rare moment of quality from the hosts.
But Di Maria ended up watching the game from the United
dressing room after he was sent-off for two bookings in the
space of 30 seconds: a dive and a grab on the referee. It
summed up an evening for United in which nothing went right.
Di Maria was the poster boy of United’s £150m summer
spending splurge that was supposed to set them up to win
trophies again following the David Moyes disaster.
But as Louis van Gaal sat glumly in the dugout for most of the
match, before putting in a rare appearance in his technical
area, he might have wondered whether he will still be in the
job next season if United are unable to hold their nerve in the
Premier League and finish in the top four this season.
With Tottenham and Liverpool up next, they cannot afford a
repeat performance.
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