Just as titles are won over the course of a gruelling nine-month season, so too are there individual moments that produce eventual champions.
This could be one of them. In the dying seconds of added time, Danny Welbeck rose high to glance in Mesut Ozil’s free-kick and send 60,000 supporters into delirium as Arsenal came from behind to win 2-1 against league leaders Leicester.
What a story for Welbeck, on as a second-half substitute for his first appearance since last April following a dreadful time with knee problems. His ecstatic celebrations reflected the release of that frustration as much as the joy of such an important winner.
As Arsenal celebrated at the final whistle as though they had just won the title, Welbeck was at the heart of it, mobbed by team-mates, his hair ruffled by coaching staff, a smile so genuine and infectious it would disarm even the most hardened cynic.
The reality for Arsenal is that there is a long way to go, 12 games in fact, and they are two points behind Leicester, ready to pounce on any slip-up as the four-horse title race promises to continue for a while longer.
This was far from a convincing performance against a Leicester side forced to play with 10 men for more than 35 minutes after Danny Simpson was sent-off for two bookings in the space of four minutes.
Yet results are all that matters in the run-in for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger has been hampered by injury problems all season so it was significant that, with most of his squad now fully fit, two substitutes turned the game on its head.
Theo Walcott was the first, sliding in from close range in the 70th minute after running on to a lovely cushioned header from Olivier Giroud. The fact that it was the Gunners’ first shot on target shows how the hosts had struggled to break down the Foxes.
Then, as supporters seemed to accept the disappointment of a draw, Welbeck popped up with virtually the last touch of the game.
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
