Arsene Wenger praised the "mental strength" of match-winner Danny Welbeck, after the former Manchester United favourite helped knock his old club out of The FA Cup.
Welbeck, deemed only good enough for a place on the bench by Louis van Gaal and subsequently sold to Arsenal, scored what proved to be the game’s decisive goal as the Gunners came away from Old Trafford 2-1 victors.
And his new manager spoke of his delight as he watched the England forward set up a semi-final meeting with Bradford City or Reading at Wembley Stadium.
Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal
FA Cup Quarter-Final
Monday 9 March 2015
Old Trafford
“We all want to do well when we play against our former club, to show that you are a great player, but it’s not easy to deal with the mental situation of it,” said Wenger.
“He focused just on his game, didn’t do anything special. He just played football like we wanted him to play. He has shown mental strength because it’s not always easy to deal with that.”
The Arsenal boss said he only decided to play Welbeck from the outset “very late on”, but could not hide his happiness with the 24-year-old’s all-round performance.
Wenger added: “He has pace. You have also a little bit of a psychological consideration. Overall I think he had a great game.
“He just wants to win. He’s a team player, that’s what I like about Danny. He’s intelligent and he always wants to do well for the team.
Danny Welbeck nets the winner against Manchester United
“He’s a great talent and recently he has done extremely well for the national team.
“He has shown again that he can produce such a complete performance, defensively and offensively as he did today – he has a great future.”
According to Wenger the result – Arsenal’s first win in ten outings to Old Trafford – also showed how far the team has come in recent months following another impressive display during their last trip to the city where they famously won the league in 2002.
“Every win makes you stronger,” he added.
“The way we won at Man City helped us today to deal with another big game. When you can win big games it’s more mental.
“We know we have the football to deal with it, but the belief is important as well.”
“I think it is very disappointing when you give the victory away”
Louis van Gaal on United's FA Cup defeat
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, meanwhile, was left to consider what might have been.
The Dutchman said it was the manner of the defeat that he found hardest to take, after Antonio Valencia gifted Arsenal the second, and decisive goal.
“I think it is very disappointing when you give the victory away,” he said.
“You don’t lose from your opponent, you have lost from yourself. That is very disappointing.
“The players are also very disappointed because they know that it could have been different. When you see the second goal, he gave it away, but the man who was doing that was the best man of my team.
“That’s also so disappointing for him. But he did it not with purpose. It happens.”
