Manchester Utd 1-2 Arsenal: Welbeck Comes Back to Haunt Former Club With FA Cup Winner Posted by M88 Malaysia the worldwide with gaming leisure & entertainment across all Sport, Live Dealer Casino, Skill games and Sportbook.

Manchester Utd 1-2 Arsenal: Welbeck Comes Back to Haunt Former Club With FA Cup Winner

http://msportnews.com/manchester-utd-1-2-arsenal-welbeck-comes-back-to-haunt-former-club-with-fa-cup-winner/

Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck profited on a mistake from Antonio Valencia to decide an eventful FA Cup semi-final with former club Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The match was pulsating from first to last, and also saw Angel Di Maria sent off for an incident with referee Michael Oliver. Arsenal led twice through Nacho Monreal and Welbeck, with United captain Wayne Rooney scoring in between.​

Luke Shaw replaced the suspended Jonny Evans ahead of the match in United's only change, while former player Welbeck was selected by Arsene Wenger to lead Arsenal's line as one of five changes from the win at QPR.

Generally, the match unfolded at an excellent pace. Both sides had a certain zip to their passing, which made a change from United's performances for most of their recent games. Arsenal opted to defend deep to invite United onto them and hit them on the break, and the Gunners created a number of half chances as a result.

United though were determined to stop Arsenal at source, pressing the visiting defenders from the front with a somewhat unusual urgency. Alexis Sanchez in particular looked to have the beating of Antonio Valencia in the opening stages, but at a crucial early moment United's defenders managed to block a shot on goal.

While the home side opted to mix up their attack with a range of intricate to direct passing up towards Marouane Fellaini, both sides frequently made mistakes in most areas of the pitch. Arsenal's first goal was littered with errors from United's point of view, and while the Gunners should be given full credit for their move which led to the goal, United should have defended their penalty area better.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose runs from deep were causing enough trouble for United, was allowed to parade through a number of half-hearted tackles before finding Monreal in acres of space in the penalty area. The Spaniard had time to take aim before slotting home at David de Gea's near post.

Their lead though didn't last long - only around four minutes - as Di Maria's pinpoint cross from the right side was rifled home by the head of Rooney. Rooney played through Di Maria later in the half with a looping pass over the top, but the Argentinian could only fire at stand-in goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny prior to the interval.

Van Gaal made two changes at half time, bringing on Phil Jones and Michael Carrick in place of Shaw - who looked out of his depth on the night - and Ander Herrera. Oxlade-Chamberlain would soon join them after tweaking his hamstring following a tussle for the ball with Marcos Rojo.

The second half began in a much more laboured fashion compared to the first, but mistakes were still occurring. Matters didn't spark into life until just before the hour - disregarding the higher volume of fouls - and Di Maria missed another opportunity after being played in by Fellaini. He could only drag his shot wide of the far post.

Moments later, inevitably, it was a mistake that led to the next goal. The man to profit was Welbeck, who wheeled away in celebration without a care. Valencia's under-hit back pass to de Gea fell into the path of the England striker, who rounded his former teammate to slot home.

Chris Smalling wasted a guilt-edged chance down the other end before de Gea made a stunning save to deny Cazorla. But that was by no means the end of the drama.

While Hector Bellerin looked lucky himself to remain on the field for a foul while on a yellow card, it would be Angel Di Maria who actually did walk. Initially booked for a dive - and rightly so - the Argentinian pulled on referee Michael Oliver's shirt to grab his attention. A shocked Olivier composed himself before showing the red.

United looked desperate in the closing moments and that feeling was summed up as Januzaj himself was booked for simulation in his attempts to win a penalty. Sanchez could have sealed it in injury time at the other end, but was again denied by the excellent de Gea.

Ultimately though, it was Arsenal to take the spoils and their place at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-finals. United's wait for the trophy goes on - having last won it in 2004 - while the Gunners' attempts to successfully defend their cup continues.

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo (Januzaj 73), Shaw (Jones 46); Blind, Herrera (Carrick 46); Di Maria, Fellaini, Young; Rooney.

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Bellerin (Chambers 66), Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Oxlade-Chamberlain (Ramsey 51), Ozil, Alexis; Welbeck (Giroud 74).