Arsene Wenger praises Danny Welbeck’s spirit following brace against Southampton



Posted Monday, April 09, 2018 by PA

Arsene Wenger praises Danny Welbeck’s spirit following brace against Southampton

Arsene Wenger hailed Danny Welbeck as “exceptional” as the Arsenal forward scored a late winner to condemn relegation-threatened Southampton to defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

Charlie Austin came off the bench to equalise for Saints with his first touch after Shane Long’s earlier effort had been cancelled out by goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Welbeck.

But Welbeck was on hand to score a second of the afternoon and secure a 3-2 win for Arsenal – who have won six games in a row for the first time this season – as a fiery end to the game saw both sides finish with 10 men as Jack Stephens and Mohamed Elneny saw red.

Welbeck had not scored in the Premier League since September and had an injury lay-off earlier in the season.

That was on the back of two serious knee problems which curtailed his career – although this match-winning brace could prove the latest part of a recovery story which could end with a place in England’s World Cup squad.

“Danny Welbeck is getting sharper, because he has been out for a while,” said Wenger.

“He had every reason to feel sorry for himself and think this mountain is too big to climb. He had the right knee, the left knee, a year out both times, but he worked hard, which is unnoticed by everybody.

“People were questioning if he’d come back or not, that is the most difficult test for any sportsperson. I believe what he has done is exceptional.”

With Arsenal chasing Europa League glory and a return to Champions League football, Welbeck’s role could become greater over the remainder of the season as Henrikh Mkhitaryan faces a spell on the sidelines having limped out of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final win over CSKA Moscow with a knee problem.

“He’s got knee ligament damage,” Wenger revealed after the game.

“He will not be available for Thursday (v CSKA) and not for Newcastle and certainly not for the week after, I think we play West Ham.

“I think he will miss these games for sure, but he could still play at the end of the season.”

Defeat for Southampton leaves them in the relegation zone and three points from safety after they lost their early lead here.

The late red card for Stephens only compounded the loss – with Mark Hughes unhappy that Jack Wilshere was not also dismissed following the tangle with the Saints defender.

“I think there should have been another red – Wilshere should have been sent off,” he said.

“If you look at it again, Jack Stephens has obviously reacted to being pulled back for about 20 yards, which is understandable. It’s not correct but it’s understandable to a certain extent.

“But I felt if you’re going to send Jack off you have to send Wilshere off for bouncing up. I thought I saw a definite movement with his knee towards Jack. The referee should have seen that and sent them both off.”

Hughes has seen Southampton lose both Premier League games since he was appointed as Mauricio Pellegrino successor but the Welshman was pleased with the steps made from the 3-0 defeat at West Ham last week.

“It was a good performance and a marked contrast to West Ham,” he added.

“The only criticism is that when you get back on level terms you need to have the clarity of thought to make sure you take something out of the game.

“It was clearly encouraging in terms of what we need to do to get out of this situation. Clearly we have got talented players, you saw that today.”

Tag:


Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.