Walcott swapped shirts with Van Persie in the tunnel to avoid the wrath of Wenger and Gunners fans

Theo Walcott has avoided an Andre Santos-style backlash from Arsenal fans despite swapping shirts with Robin van Persie on Sunday.

                        Avoiding controversy: Walcott in Van Persie's United shirt which he picked up in the tunnel after the match

The Gunners forward was seen giving a post-match interview wearing a United shirt after the 1-1 draw.  

It belonged to his former Arsenal team-mate Van Persie, with the pair exchanging jerseys in the Emirates Stadium tunnel moments after the final whistle.

Santos was the subject of a furious reaction from supporters after making a beeline to Van Persie at half-time of the Gunners defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Criticised: Santos angered Wenger and Arsenal fans for asking Van Persie to swap shirts at half-time of Arsenal's 2-1 defeat by Manchester   United at Old Trafford last November

He made the approach in full view of TV cameras and Arsenal supporters.

The left back was also criticised by Arsene Wenger for his decision to approach Van Persie for his shirt.

Walcott's wise decision to swap shirts in private has helped avoid a similar storm.

Emirates State of Mind: Jay-Z and Coldplay star Chris Martin watch Arsenal face champions Man United

Coldplay singer Chris Martin and American rapper Jay-Z were spotted at the Emirates for Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester United.The pair share a friendship that even they have acknowledged as unlikely - and also a love of Arsenal.Martin has been to the Emirates before - he and his band played a gig there in June 2012.

Jay-Z, meanwhile, said three years ago that he would be interested in investing some of his millions in Arsenal.He said: 'I don't know a lot about the business of soccer, but in the future if the right opportunity presented itself, then who knows? 'I am a businessman, and I will always look at an opportunity, and if it feels right, great.

Arsenal will boost their own pot of cash if they qualify for the Champions League.The point gained against the new Premier League champions on Sunday afternoon did them no harm, leaving them in fourth place.

Jay-Z's favourite Arsenal player was Thierry Henry and although he has left the club, Theo Walcott - wearing the Frenchman's No 14 - opened the scoring.The equaliser came from former Gunners hero Robin van Persie, slotting home from the spot.

Football: We won't sell any more players to United after RVP, insists Arsenal boss Wenger

Arsene Wenger is adamant he will not sell any more of his Arsenal stars to Manchester United after Robin van Persie swapped the Emirates for Old Trafford last summer.

The Dutchman was part of the United team who turned out for the 1-1 draw between the two clubs in north London yesterday after being greeted with a guard of honour from his former team-mates. The Premier League top goalscorer was jeered throughout the game by the same fans who previously lauded him, but scored a penalty to cancel out Theo Walcott’s early opener. 

Wenger sanctioned the £24million sale of Arsenal’s prize asset last summer after Van Persie notched up 37 goals in all competitions for the Gunners.When asked whether opposite number Sir Alex Ferguson was interested in any of his other players, Wenger repiled: ‘I don’t know but he will not sign them from us.’

Football: Arsenal recover from Norwich scare with a late flourish

The opportunity had knocked so loudly it practically hurt. With Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur not in Premier League action this weekend, Arsenal knew that three points against struggling Norwich City would lift them above their Champions League rivals and ratchet up the pressure on them.

The form book said home win yet the football gods decreed that it would be harrowing before Arsène Wenger's team got there with a dramatic late flurry. It had been easy to fear the worst for Arsenal when their first-half control yielded nothing and they fell behind to Michael Turner's header following a loosely defended set-piece.

But the tide turned when the assistant referee Richard West spotted, from a long way away, a pull by Kei Kamara on Olivier Giroud and Mikel Arteta converted the high-pressure penalty. Norwich were furious about the decision but worse for them would follow.

The substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain surged to the byline, following an interchange with another substitute, Lukas Podolski, and his cross was bundled into his own net by Sébastien Bassong, under pressure from Giroud. Even then, Norwich almost clawed level when Jonny Howson drew a reflex save from Lukasz Fabianski but Podolski settled the issue with an injury-time blast from a Theo Walcott cross, although the Englishman looked to have been offside before he played the ball.

With this 3-1 win, Arsenal go third on the English premiership table.