Danny Welbeck Left 'Hurt' and 'Quiet' After Arsenal Winner at Manchester United

Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker has revealed Danny Welbeck was "a bit quiet" after netting the winner against former club Manchester United on Monday night.

A mistake from Antonio Valencia handed Welbeck a simple opportunity to latch onto the ball, round David De Gea and give Arsenal a 2-1 win in the heated FA Cup tie, sending Arsene Wenger's men to a Wembley semi-final. Welbeck didn't shy away from celebrating after being let go in the summer by Louis van Gaal, who suggested he was only good enough for the United bench, according to Jamie Reid of the official FA website.

Mertesacker indicates Welbeck was a little more ponderous after the tie.

"Danny Welbeck was a great player here at United, he's a bit quiet in the dressing room at the moment," said the German defender, reported by Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star. "I think it hurts him a bit as well as he was here for a long time. We tried to get him going and to tell him he can enjoy special moments with Arsenal." 

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Wenger believes Welbeck "showed mental strength" after being selected ahead of in-form striker Olivier Giroud for the tie, per Jamie Jackson of The Guardian. The Englishman struggled in the first half—which saw him bumble over the ball and lose control of decent opportunities in front of goal—but upped his work rate in the second and remained sharp enough to break United hearts.

When speaking to the media after the match, Welbeck himself didn't want to dwell too heavily on the emotional side of eliminating his boyhood club, as reported by ESPN:

"

To get the goal was good for me but it was all about the team performance tonight. It was a great reception. It was hard for me but I tried to be respectful. 

[...]

I'm just really pleased we're through to the next round. I stayed professional and I was just doing my job. To be able to get back on the scoresheet and get through to the next round is the most important thing [rather than scoring against United].

"

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Arsenal will face either Reading or Bradford in the semi-final, both undoubtedly winnable ties. Although the latter side dumped them out of the 2012-13 League Cup, Wenger's side will be confident of retaining its FA Cup title. Liverpool, Blackburn or Aston Villa will await the winner of Arsenal's semi, with the final taking place on May 30 after the Premier League concludes.

Welbeck is still struggling to consistently net important goals for the north Londoners, but he deserved his reward Monday. He has eight strikes across 30 appearances this campaign, per WhoScored.com, and summarised an Arsenal side that is becomingly increasingly dogged away from home.

It's likely many Gunners fans will celebrate Welbeck's industrious nature while bemoaning the wasted opportunities that pass him by. United supporters felt like this for years, but after watching their homegrown talent end the club's chances of silverware, those fans will surely be hurting a little more than Welbeck on Tuesday morning.