We dissect Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United in this morning’s Scribbles, as the Gunners continue their impressive form away from home. Meanwhile, Angel Di Maria ruins a fine performance with a bizarre show of dissent, and Wayne Rooney strengthens his hold on a striker berth.
Arsenal into the last four
Arsenal’s 2-1 triumph over Manchester United in their FA Cup quarter-final tie marked the first time since 2006 that the Gunners have emerged victorious at Old Trafford. Danny Welbeck came back to haunt his erstwhile employers following a £16 million summer switch to the Emirates, latching onto an under-hit backpass from Antonio Valencia and rounding the keeper to score. Nacho Monreal provided the North London club’s opener, slotting past an onrushing David de Gea after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain outfoxed several Red Devils defenders with his sinuous dribbling.
The Gunners’ victory serves to further illustrate how dominant Arsene Wenger’s men have been on the road in the last few months. Since 18 January, Arsenal have played in six away fixtures, winning all but their duel with arch rivals Tottenham at White Hart Lane. With three favourable match-ups (new, bur, hull) in their remaining road ties, it’s not beyond Arsenal to extend that run into May.
Wenger elected to shuffle the pack ahead of a home tie against West Ham on the weekend. Danny Welbeck was handed a start in the lone striker role in place of the rested Olivier Giroud, and Oxlade-Chamberlain lined up on the right flank in Wenger’s 4-2-3-1, with Tomas Rosicky dropping to the bench. Monreal, Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny were recalled to Arsenal’s defence.
Despite only recently returning from a groin injury, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s problems continued last night after he was forced off on 50 minutes with a hamstring problem. Another stint on the sidelines would certainly boost the prospects of Welbeck or Theo Walcott on the right, with Olivier Giroud expected to return against the Hammers this weekend.
After the match, Arsene Wenger explained his decision to hand Welbeck a rare role through the middle:
“He has pace and you also have to consider it psychologically. I have to rotate a little bit without destroying the balance of the team and I felt that we could have counter-attacking chances tonight and he would be ideal for that. Overall he had a great game. We all want to do well when we play against our former club to show that we are a great player but it’s not easy to deal with the mental situation. He focused just on his game and didn’t do anything special, he just played football like you want him to play. He has shown mental strength because that’s not always easy to deal with.”
Impact of Arsenal win on fixtures
As discussed on the site yesterday, Arsenal’s passage into the last four of the FA Cup means their Gameweek 33 home clash against Sunderland – which falls on the weekend of the semi-finals – will likely be rescheduled for midweek of the following Gameweek. In that eventuality, the Gunners would be tasked with back-to-back encounters at the Emirates since they’re already hosting Chelsea on the Sunday. Conversely, the Blacks Cats now face the prospect of two road matches in quick succession, with Gus Poyet’s side already scheduled to travel to Stoke City that Gameweek.
With Aston Villa and Liverpool (if they win their replay) also facing potential blanks on Gameweek 33 and doubles on Gameweek 34 – alongside their Gameweek 33 opponents QPR and Hull City – the final stages of the 2014/15 Fantasy Premier League campaign are shaping to be a real test of our managerial expertise.
Di Maria: the good, the bad and the ugly
Angel Di Maria arguably had his brightest match in a United strip for several weeks before being sent off in the most undignified of fashions in the 77th minute. If getting booking for simulation wasn’t humbling enough for the Argentina international, Di Maria proceeded to vent his frustration by pulling at the back of referee Michael Oliver’s jersey, earning a swift second yellow for the flagrant display of disrespect. Di Maria’s one-match suspension means he’ll miss United’s home clash against fellow Champions League hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur this Saturday.
Di Maria’s 12.6% ownership likely lamented the winger’s moment of madness, given how promising his output had been up until that point. The former Real Madrid star teed up Wayne Rooney for the hosts only goal, delivering an inch-perfect curling cross from the right wing for the United striker to head home. Furthermore, Di Maria executed more key passes (three) than any other player on the pitch, despite not lasting the full 90 minutes.
Louis van Gaal made only one change to the XI that bested Newcastle last time out, calling up left-back Luke Shaw so Marcos Rojo could shift over and cover for suspended centre-back Jonny Evans, though Shaw was replaced at the break as his hamstring problems continue. Rooney spearheaded United’s attack once again and strengthened his claim for a position in our squads, notching his third goal in as many starts. That being said, a brutal fun of fixtures in the next six (TOT, liv, AVL, MCI, che, eve) doesn’t encourage investment in the 10.6-priced forward.
