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Football

04th Feb 2018

Arsenal fans understandably feel sorry for Theo Walcott

That must have been tough

Ben Kiely

Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott’s swift return to the Emirates was a rude awakening.

On Saturday evening, Theo Walcott played at the Emirates Stadium. Unlike every other time he’s graced the Arsenal stadium, this time he was a member of the opposition.

In just his third appearance for the Toffees, he had to face the club he spent 12 years at.

He knew before kick-off that it was going to be an emotional experience. However, he probably didn’t plan on the complete embarrassment that transpired as Everton were totally outclassed by the Gunners.

Arsenal ran out 5-1 winners over Everton. New signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan racked up three assists, old head Aaron Ramsey bagged himself a hat-trick. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Laurent Koscielny got the other goals for the good.

After six minutes, Everton were two goals down. On the 20-minute mark, they were trailing three-nil. An hour in, Walcott’s game was over.

While he received a standing ovation from both sets of fans when he was subbed off, he also had to endure ironic chants of ‘Theo’ after missing a sitter. It must have been tough to see his former teammates run rings around his current team like that.

Considering how good he looked against Leicester City, his homecoming must have felt like an absolute nightmare. As awful as their season has been, Arsenal are still a level above the Foxes. Judging by Saturday’s game, they’re still streets ahead of the Toffees too.

For that and a multitude of reasons, Gooners really felt for their former striker.

The beautiful game can be very cruel at times.