MANCHESTER -- Louis van Gaal insisted he was still right to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal -- even after the former Manchester United striker scored the goal that knocked his old team out of the FA Cup.
Welbeck marked his first return to Old Trafford with a quarterfinal winner, his eighth goal for Arsenal.
But although his replacement Radamel Falcao has only scored four goals, Van Gaal maintained he took the correct decision when he dispensed with Welbeck's services.
"Yes," he said in a news conference. "That is always also in football happens. Also a player [scores] a lot of times against the club who he was playing for because he shall be very motivated but I think we gave that goal [away]."
And having claimed Welbeck was more of a substitute than a starter when he allowed the England international to go, he claimed it was a shock that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger selected him as a lone striker.
"It was also a surprise that Wenger put him in the line-up in that position," Van Gaal added.
Falcao has underachieved in his time at Old Trafford and was an unused substitute against Arsenal but Van Gaal defended the Colombian.
"He has scored four goals and three or four assists and he stimulates also the other players so that is an aspect of a profession," he said.
When he was confronted with Falcao's meagre goal tally, Van Gaal replied: "I cannot change that. I cannot change facts and you know that."
Van Gaal felt his side gifted Arsenal the victory and, in particular, the goals Nacho Monreal and Welbeck scored.
He explained: "I think it is very disappointing when you give the victory. You don't lose from your opponent, you have lost from yourself. That is the right expression I think and that is very disappointing. The players are very disappointed because you know that it could be different."
Antonio Valencia, with a poor backpass, was responsible for Welbeck's winner and Van Gaal added: "Of course a match shall be decided by goals and also this match has been decided by goals.
"When you see the second goal, it was nothing. We gave it away. The man who was doing that was the best man of my team and that is also for him so disappointing. He did it not with purpose."