Arsenal take sweet revenge on Southampton in FA Cup 4th round

The London team won 5-0 against Southampton in the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a double from Danny Welbeck and a hat-trick from Theo Walcott.

The pair Walcott and Welbeck took turns shooting. Photo: Reuters.

Goals: Welbeck (15', 22'), Walcott (35', 69', 84').

Southampton had just won a resounding victory at Liverpool's Anfield to reach the League Cup final against Man Utd. However, when they returned to their home ground St Mary, they were easily crushed by Arsenal, conceding five goals.

Southampton have not met Man Utd yet but they have been tortured by a former "Red Devil" striker, Danny Welbeck. The English striker scored twice in the first half with goals in the 15th and 22nd minutes. These were all situations of Welbeck accelerating and finishing skillfully.

Welbeck's performance marked his return from a lengthy spell out with a knee injury. The Southampton game was his first start since May 2016 and his performance will give Wenger a welcome headache as he looks to add more options to his attack.

Arsenal almost killed the game in the first half with a third goal and Welbeck contributed by assisting Theo Walcott. In the second half, manager Wenger brought on Alexis Sanchez and immediately the Chilean striker shone with a double assist for Walcott to complete his hat-trick.

This was a memorable return to St Mary's for Walcott, a star who grew up in Southampton's youth system. Walcott played for Southampton's youth team from 2000-2005 before breaking into the first team and being signed by Arsenal a year later.

Southampton showed a weak performance in contrast to the match against Liverpool. Photo: Reuters.

Arsenal got sweet revenge on Southampton in the League Cup. Southampton were the team that eliminated Arsenal in the League Cup quarter-finals in late November 2016. At that time, Southampton defeated Arsenal 2-0 right at the Emirates Stadium.

Southampton can have little regret about their FA Cup exit. Manager Claude Puel made 10 changes to the starting line-up from the Anfield victory. For Southampton, reaching the League Cup final was a great achievement and they must now focus on improving their 11th place in the Premier League. Southampton travel to Swansea in midweek and this is an opportunity to take all three points.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have had their third consecutive win in all competitions and are full of confidence when they host Watford on January 31.

According to VNE