Danny Welbeck scored the winner against his former club as holders Arsenal dumped ten-man Manchester United out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Monday night.
The England international striker, who was sold to the Gunners by Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal in the summer, put the Londoners back in front in the second half after Wayne Rooney had cancelled out Nacho Monreal's opener in the opening period of the quarter-final tie at Old Trafford.
It was enough to send Arsene Wenger's side through to face Reading or Bradford in the semi-finals, while their task was made easier when Angel Di Maria was sent off 13 minutes from the end of normal time.
United enjoyed the brighter start without testing Wojciech Szczesny in the Arsenal goal. But the Gunners took the lead in the 25th minute when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain brilliantly worked his way into the United area before picking out the run of Monreal down the left and he coolly finished past David De Gea at his near post.
However, Arsenal's advantage lasted only four minutes as United equalised when Di Maria swung in a left-foot cross from the right and Rooney was on hand to direct his header into the bottom corner of the net from the centre of the area.
On the half-hour Welbeck went down in the area under pressure from Marcos Rojo but referee Michael Oliver ignored his appeal. Welbeck then had a chance to put the Gunners back in front a minute later but his header down at goal from an Oxlade-Chamberlain cross lacked the power to trouble De Gea.
On 42 minutes Szczesny was called into action for Arsenal as he got down to push away a Di Maria strike from the right side of the area. De Gea then saved fairly comfortably from a 25-yard Santi Cazorla free-kick, before Szczesny gathered a Marouane Fellaini strike from distance just before the interval.
Arsenal had the first chance of the second half when Cazorla picked out Alexis Sanchez down the left of the area but his shot deflected off Antonio Valencia and was saved by De Gea.
Just after the hour Fellaini picked out the run of Di Maria and he guided a left-foot effort just wide of the far post under pressure from Monreal.
Arsenal went straight down the other end and took the lead when Valencia's poor back-pass was pounced on by Welbeck and he went round De Gea before firing into the empty net against his former employers.
Chris Smalling spurned a great chance to level on 65 minutes when he somehow fired over the bar in front of goal after Michael Carrick flicked on a Di Maria corner.
Fellaini had a back-post header saved by Szczesny at one end, before De Gea saved a dangerous free kick from Sanchez a minutes later.
De Gea kept United in the tie in the 74th minute with a brilliant save to claw away Cazorla's volley down the left of the area after he was set up by Sanchez's cross from the left.
United's hopes of getting back into the game was made virtually impossible on 77 minutes when they were reduced to ten men after Di Maria stupidly pulled the referee's shirt after being booked for diving and the Argentinian winger was immediately sent off.
Arsenal subsequently held out fairly comfortably for the win and it could have been even better had De Gea not produced another great finger-tip save to deny Sanchez in stoppage time.
Source:http://www.football411.com/story/0,22162,14341_36018,00.html
.jpg)
.jpg)
0 σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου