Welbeck the hero!

Arsenal 2-1 Leicester

The love was flowing on a beautiful Valentine’s day at the Emirates stadium as 60,000 Arsenal fans rose as one to chant the name of Danny Welbeck.

The former Manchester United man had just propelled his side right back into the title race in the last minute of a crucial game against Leicester City.

Welbeck has endured an injury nightmare, forcing him out of the game for almost an entire year, but he certainly came back with a bang. Thrown on with only ten minutes left to play as Arsenal desperately went in search of a winner, Welbeck struggled to get himself into the game, finding himself largely on the periphery. But then as the match entered the fourth and final minute of injury time Welbeck rose highest in the box to flick Ozil’s pin point delivery right into the bottom corner and send the Emirates stadium wild. To be out injured for almost a year is truly horrible for any professional sportsmen, but the weeks and months of rehabilitation it has taken for Welbeck to get back into first team action was all worth it just for that one beautiful moment. It is moments like these which make fans fall in love with football.

Jamie Vardy’s dive in the first half however, is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with the game. The football world has fallen in love with the Leicester story and in particular that of Vardy, who has risen from the anonymity of non-league football, to Premier League stardom. However the way he threw himself over Nacho Monreal’s leg in an attempt to win a penalty was truly horrible. The fact the referee and the linesman bought the theatrics and awarded a penalty was all the more ridiculous. Vardy picked himself up to convert the spot kick but in doing so he and Leicester lost much of the good faith that has been with them since the start of the season.

Maybe having had time to collect his thoughts at half time the referee realised that he had made a terrible decision and made a conscious effort to try to even the score as all of a sudden, from the start of the second half he actually started to give yellow cards to Leicester players, finally punishing the cynical challenges they had been making from the start of the game. Suddenly the Leicester players were under pressure, especially those that had received a yellow card. For one such player in particular, Danny Simpson, the pressure was too much to bear and having already been booked, Simpson made another rash challenge, pulling back Giroud needlessly and duly received his marching orders.

However with Leicester already one goal up the sending off didn’t really change the flow of the game as it was already set up for the away side to sit deep, waste time and attempt to hit the Gunners on the break. The sending off simply meant these tactics were now set in stone as Claudio Ranieri now had no other choice than attempt to ride the game out.

For large periods of the second half it appeared Leicester would succeed, as Arsenal huffed and puffed but just could not break down the stubborn away defence. Arsene Wenger had to gamble and to his credit had the courage to do just that. Knowing that Leicester were looking to hit his side on the break, Wenger still took off defensive shield Francis Coquelin and replaced him with Theo Walcott. The substitution paid off with Walcott getting the equaliser. A ball into the box was nodded down by Giroud into the path of Walcott, who found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat and made no mistake, steering the ball beyond his reach to get the Gunners back into the game.

There were still almost twenty minutes left to play but Arsenal just couldn’t get the crucial second as several chances went begging. Time and time again the Gunners would get the ball out wide and deliver a cross into the box but with only Giroud to aim for, Leicester’s defenders were able to clear their lines easily. Even on occasions when the Arsenal striker would win the header, he just couldn’t get enough power on the ball to trouble the goalkeeper. Once again Wenger took a gamble and with ten minutes left he took off Oxlade-Chamberlain and replaced him with Danny Welbeck. Arsenal now had two strikers up front but no one to help screen the defence. It really was a do or die move as one lapse in concentration would see Leicester pour forward towards an exposed Arsenal defence.

Fortunately the gamble paid off again and Wenger and Arsenal fans the World over were able to enjoy one of those beautiful moments in football that comes around every now and then, a last minute winner.

At the final whistle the players lapped up the applause from the fans as the feel good factor returned to the Emirates for the first time in several weeks. Arsenal will now need to kick on from this. They are now only two points off top spot but must use this result as the driving force which propels them forward until the end of the season. Unfortunately, there are now concerns over the defence with Gabriel suffering a hamstring injury in training before Sunday’s game and Koscielny having to be replaced at half time by Callum Chambers. The Englishman performed very well but Wenger will hope Koscielny isn’t out for too long.

Similarly the manager will also hope Welbeck can now stay fit for the rest of the season, build on the confidence this goal has given him and help Arsenal to continue their title challenge. If he is able to do so, the love he received this Valentine’s day will certainly keep flowing for him.