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Arsenals struggles in front of goal have been a glaring issue throughout the season. Could the returning Danny Welbeck be the man to freshen up their misfiring attack? We take a look ahead of his return to Old Trafford on Super Sunday... A familiar theme emerged from Arsene Wengers terse press conference at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. The Arsenal manager had just watched his sides Champions League hopes all but ended by Barcelona, and after lamenting their late defensive lapses, the questioning turned to their profligacy in front of goal.The way we finished our chances was a problem today, he said. In the final third, at the moment, we miss something. The Frenchman highlighted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains failure to convert an unbelievable chance in the first half, but Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud were also guilty of spurning clear opportunities before Lionel Messi took over. Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott have struggled in front of goal in recent weeks After recent blanks against Hull, Southampton, Chelsea and Stoke, Arsenal have now failed to score in five games out of eight for the first time since early 2009. It is a deeply troubling statistic, but even more worrying for Arsenal is that the lack of cutting edge has been an issue right from the start of the season. Gunners conundrum With Arsenal facing another Champions League exit , what must they change? The Gunners have been comfortably outscored by Premier League title rivals Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester City, and they have only netted fewer than 41 goals after 26 games in three of Wengers 20 campaigns in charge. Arsenal rank third in the Premier League for efforts on goal and chances created, but their shot conversion rate of 14.09 per cent puts them down in 10th. Top four shot conversion comparison Team Shots on goal (PL rank) Goals (PL rank) Shot conversion (PL rank) Leicester 264 (7th) 48 (1st) 18.18% (1st) Tottenham 301 (2nd) 47 (2nd) 15.61% (4th) Arsenal 291 (3rd) 41 (4th) 14.09% (10th) Man City 309 (1st) 48 (1st) 15.53% (6th) A deeper look at the statistics throws up even more compelling evidence that finishing has become a chronic issue for Wengers men. Sixty-four of the 331 chances they have created are defined as clear-cut opportunities by Opta. Thats 20 more than any other Premier League side, and only two short of the highest number managed by any club over the whole of last season. What is a clear-cut chance? Opta define a clear-cut chance as a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, such as a one-on-one or a close-range effort. The problem, however, is that Arsenal have only managed to convert 26 of those 64 opportunities. So despite being streets ahead of their rivals in terms of creativity, the Gunners rank 19th in the Premier League for clear-cut chance conversion on just 32.5 per cent. Only relegation-threatened Swansea have been more wasteful. Top four clear-cut chance comparison Team Clear-cut chances created (PL rank) Clear-cut chance conversion (PL rank) Leicester 44 (2nd) 43.55% (5th) Tottenham 39 (4th) 48.15% (2nd) Arsenal 64 (1st) 32.50% (19th) Man City 40 (3rd) 37.29% (15th) Arsenal have consequently averaged just 1.58 goals per game in the Premier League this season, and they will finish the campaign on 60 goals if they continue scoring at the same rate. History suggests that wont be enough, with Manchester Uniteds total of 67 in 1992/93 the lowest for a title-winning side in Premier League history.Wenger has described finishing as cyclical, but the issue evidently runs deeper than that. And yet, when the Frenchman was questioned about signing a new striker in January, his response was to talk up the impending return of Danny Welbeck. His comments received a lukewarm reception, but the England forward has certainly provided some encouragement. Welbeck celebrates with Walcott and Giroud after scoring against Leicester Wenger talked about small steps when discussing Welbecks comeback at the end of last month, but the 25-year-old has been hurriedly making up for lost time. He marked his first appearance in 10 months with a dramatic winner against Leicester, and it wouldnt have been surprising to see him start against Barcelona after an eye-catching performance in Arsenals goalless draw with Hull.Welbeck was full of energy and intent before his 67th-minute substitution against Steve Bruces team, and there were flashes of his quality, too. He created two scoring opportunities for his team-mates and forced a stunning save from Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic with one curling effort, and 24 of his 25 passes found a team-mate.The Gunners are in dire need of fresh impetus in attack as their Premier League campaign gets back underway, and while the likes of Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott are suffering from a glaring lack of confidence in front of goal, Welbeck looks hungrier and sharper than ever. Welbeck takes the applause from the Arsenal crowd His Premier League scoring record may be a modest 31 goals in 144 appearances, but he showed a ruthless streak with six goals in seven games for England last season, and his pace and work-rate make him well-suited to playing anywhere in the front three. Soccer Saturday pundit Charlie Nicholas is a big admirer, and hes expecting a shake-up in the weeks ahead.Giroud is not playing well, the former Arsenal forward told Sky Sports. His choice of passing has been poor, hes too static, hes not getting in enough scoring positions and if hes not scoring goals then he shouldnt be starting. Welbecks movement and speed gives more options to Mesut Ozil. It was fantastic to see him come back and score the winner against Leicester after so long out. Welbeck shows his delight after scoring in Arsenals FA Cup win over Man Utd last season As Arsenal prepare for Sundays crucial clash with Manchester United, an injury to Oxlade-Chamberlain has raised the possibility of Welbeck making his first Premier League start since March at Old Trafford, where he scored Arsenals winner in last years FA Cup quarter-final.Wenger needs an injection of something different in attack to avoid their Premier League campaign heading the same way as the Champions League. A refreshed and reinvigorated Welbeck looks like the right man for the job.Watch Manchester United v Arsenal live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 1pm on Sunday. 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The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup.MONTREAL -- The end of Marco Di Vaios scoring drought could not have come at a better time for the Montreal Impact. The Italian striker scored twice to lead the Impact to a much-needed 2-1 win over D.C. United on Saturday. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Montreal (11-7-5) as the Impact picked up a crucial three points for just the second time in its last nine matches. It also allowed the club to keep its place among the tightly packed top five in the Eastern Conference playoff race. "Our second half wasnt great. They dominated the play and we couldnt find the solution to block them. But we responded well and we have Marco Di Vaio," said midfielder Patrice Bernier, whose header set up the game-winning goal. "Its great to be able to win games like that because today was a big win in terms of the standings. We have to stay tight so that our games in hand benefit us when we do catch up." The Impact came out ready to play and score, with several opportunities early on in the match. United withstood Montreals early possession before creating a few chances of its own. "What I liked about our team is that we started very well. I saw a team that wanted to win this game," Impact head coach Marco Schallibaum said following the win, which came two weeks after his club fell 3-1 to United in D.C. Montreal was able to capitalize on an opportunity in the 43rd minute. After a strong effort on the right wing, midfielder Justin Mapp crossed the ball in for Di Vaio, who scored his 12th goal of the season, and his first since July 3. "Im very happy because I play to score and when I dont score, Im not happy because Im not helping the team," Di Vaio said. "The team needs goals from me and they got it today in an important game after two losses. It was important for our morale." Already mired in the Eastern Conference and MLS basement, the defeat left D.C. (3-17-4) without a road win in 11 games. The club has also scored just three goals on opposing pitches. United forwards Dwayne De Rosario and Luis Silva came close to netting the equalizer on a pair of opportunities early in the second half but both were denied by Impact keeper Troy Perkins. "It was a little bit heartbreakinng for us.dddddddddddd I felt like we played well, created enough chances, especially on the road, to get out of here with some sort of result, so it is disappointing," said United assistant coach Chad Ashton. "But we are very happy with our teams effort and thought we played a very good game. "We knew it was going to be difficult. They havent had the best run over the past seven or eight games and we knew they would be very hungry to come out and get three points." Di Vaio came within inches of his second tally of the night in the 61st minute, but his shot from the top of the box trickled wide left of the net. The match became heated in the 75th minute when Mapp and Uniteds James Riley both leaped for the ball along the sidelines and Riley appeared to push Mapp into the TV camera. Unhappy with the situation, Impact head coach Marco Schallibaum and United head coach Ben Olsen got into a heated exchange resulting in ejections for both. Riley was given a yellow card. "The ball went up on the sideline, I went up with Riley and momentum carried us into the camera and table," Mapp said. "I ended up being okay but things got heated and I think that fired everybody up." Schallibaum said he was simply sticking up for Mapp. "I spoke for my player, Justin Mapp, because he fell down into the camera. Because hes my player, I wanted to go see what happened because its a very dangerous situation," Schallibaum said of his third ejection of the season. "I was out a little bit from my zone." He added: "I cant say everything that I think (without risking a fine)." United forward substitute Conor Doyle evened things up in the 81st minute with his second of the season. Di Vaio added his second of the match two minutes later when Bernier headed the ball to the striker on the left wing. D.C. midfielder Nick DeLeon nearly secured at least a point for his club in the 89th minute, but he was held off by Perkins. The match marked the return of defender Dennis Iapichino to Montreal. United signed Iapichino on Thursday after he was waived by the Impact earlier in the week. The 23-year-old wasnt in D.C.s starting lineup but was sent in as a substitute late in the game. 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