Arsenal ran riot against Southampton as Danny Welbeck scored a brace for the Gunners after returning to the lineup from a long injury layoff.
The English international suffered two consecutive knee injuries that kept him out of the side for a long period of time and only made a return to action this month after nearly a year out of the game.
Theo Walcott picked up a rare hat-trick while Welbeck scored a brace as Arsenal completely dominated a team that was running high on confidence having just knocked Liverpool out of the EFL Cup with an impressive performance.
Speaking after the game, Arsene Wenger was understandably pleased with Danny Welbeck’s performance and singled out the 26-year old England international for praise. Wenger also admitted that he wasn’t sure if Welbeck would be able to recover from his series of injuries while talking to the official website.
“I knew that he worked very hard, but you never know how much efficiency there will be to transfer that into a competitive game. I think it was great to see that he hasn’t lost his runs, he hasn’t lost his finishing. It shows as well, when you are able to transform that frustration of not playing into efficiency, that’s a special guy.”
“I’m not a medical specialist but you hope that it will all go well after he comes back after the second surgery. He became even more resilient and worked even harder. He’s highly respected inside the club because he has shown so much dedication, never moaned, worked very hard and tonight everybody is delighted for him.”
Welbeck is a popular figure both inside and outside of Arsenal and many neutrals will be pleased to see him make a successful return to action. The Englishman looked lively as Arsenal dismantled Southampton and will definitely provide a boost to the Gunners as they look to close the gap to Chelsea.
Theo Walcott’s hat-trick will also provide some cheer to Arsenal fans after the winger’s fine form this season was interrupted by a string of injuries. Arsene Wenger will be hoping the Englishman can stay fit for the rest of the season.
It was a good night for the Gunners and despite Wenger having to watch from the stands there were plenty of smiles all around.
