Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck criticises Ostersunds FK pitch

Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck has suggested that his performance against Ostersunds FK was compromised by concerns about playing on an artificial pitch.

The Gunners ran out 3-0 winners in Thursday night's Europa League last-32 first leg thanks to strikes from Nacho Monreal and Mesut Ozil, plus a Sotirios Papagiannopoulos own goal.

Welbeck, who has recently recovered from a knee injury, failed to make much of an impact on the game and was largely a spectator at the 3G-clad Jamtkraft Arena.

"The pitch was hard, l knew coming here it would be difficult, with the players they've got they like to keep the ball, and we had to keep our cool, be patient," the England man told BT Sport.

"Maybe we could have played the ball forward a bit quicker, try to catch them out, but it was a professional start.

"It's a 3G pitch. I made sure I did my rehab. You hear stories, but I felt fine, just looking to get more minutes under my belt after injuries."

Arsenal host the second leg of the last-32 tie at Emirates Stadium next Thursday.