Former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck helped Arsenal overcome the 10-man Red Devils at Old Trafford, with the England striker seizing upon an Antonio Valencia error to secure a 2-1 victory and a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
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Welbeck only moved from Manchester to join the Gunners for £16 million last summer but came back to haunt his former side on Monday evening with a second half winner in what had been a feisty Sixth Round clash.
Spanish full-back Nacho Monreal opened the scoring for the visiting side after just 25 minutes before an immediate response from Wayne Rooney just moments later, with the England striker heading home an Angel di Maria cross to restore belief for the hosts.
Di Maria, though, would later provide the game’s major talking point as he saw red after earning two yellow cards in a matter of seconds as his side chased the game.
The Argentine was first booked for diving while under close attention from Aaron Ramsay before worsening his punishment when he appeared to grab referee Michael Oliver while protesting the decision.
For manager Louis van Gaal, the loss of composure from his £60 million summer at such a crucial stage of the season will have only added to the frustration of another below-par performance.
Van Gaal in press conf saying Di Maria “not so smart” and that he had warned his players beforehand to take extra care not to get a red card
— Daniel Taylor (@DTguardian) March 9, 2015
Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea was forced into making a stunning save to keep his side in the game late on as his side pushed for a late equaliser. However, they were unable to find a breakthrough.
The result will be a major boost for Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal side in their pursuit of a second consecutive success in the competition, ending a run of nine years since Arsenal were last able to claim victory at Old Trafford.
Arsenal progress from the tie to face either Bradford or Reading in a semi-final clash at Wembley, with the draw taking place immediately after Monday evening’s game. Aston Villa, meanwhile, will face the winner of the coming replay between Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers.
