The FA Cup is not the measure by which Arsene Wenger will ultimately be judged but it continues to provide welcome respite at this delicate stage in his Arsenal career.
After a limp New Year’s Day defeat against Southampton and the decision to let Lukas Podolski leave on loan to Inter Milan, defeat here against Hull City would certainly have prompted another outpouring of tensions at The Emirates.
Hull, remember, had been within inches of taking what would surely have been an unassailable 3-0 lead at Wembley last May but this repeat of the FA Cup final contained none of that unwanted drama for Arsenal.
Hull looked like a team with Premier league survival already consuming their energies while Arsenal, freed from the pressure of their stuttering Premier League form, played with an attacking flair that has often been absent this season.
Alexis Sanchez, yet again, was talismanic both in his all-round play and finishing as he provided both the assist for Arsenal’s headed first by Per Mertesacker before completing what was a most routine win with his 82nd minute second. It was his 16th of the season.
Arsenal’s persistent injury problems had meant that any desire to rest and rotate players would be limited but, with Lukas Podolski finalising his loan move to Inter Milan, there were chances for three little used attacking players.
Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla were asked to play through the middle alongside Francis Coquelin in the absence of Arsenal’s four first-choice central midfielders. Theo Walcott was back starting a game exactly a year to the day since suffering knee ligament damage against Tottenham while Joel Campbell had a rare chance to impress after his excellent World Cup with Costa Rica.
Within minutes of kick-off – and after a typically slick pass from Sanchez – Campbell was clear one-on-one with Steve Harper. He just paused before shooting and seemed to have sent Harper the wrong way but the Hull goalkeeper saved with his outstretched foot.
Hull’s priorities this season were evident in Steve Bruce’s decision to make 10 changes from the side that had beaten Everton 2-0 on New Year’s Day and there was a persistent lack of intensity in their play.
Cazorla and Walcott then combined to give Sanchez a sight of goal but his improvised finish was chipped onto the roof of the goal. Even with all the changes, Arsenal had found a much better rhythm to their passing than against Southampton in their previous match but the first goal derived from a very basic build-up.
Sanchez had floated a cross into Hull’s penalty area and Mertesacker simply hauled his 6ft 7ins frame above Curtis Davies before aiming his header down into the ground and beyond Harper. It was his first goal since the invaluable semi-final equaliser against Wigan Athletic last year.
A brilliant blur of Arsenal passing followed and it was almost 2-0. Rosicky and Sanchez had combined to carve open Hull’s defence but, having rounded Harper, the Chile striker’s shot was wonderfully cleared off the line by Paul McShane.
Walcott also had several sights of goal on his comeback but there was an understandable rust to his finishing. He side-footed straight at Harper after being put through by Cazorla. The Spain midfielder also created an excellent second-half chance for Walcott but he placed his attempted finish both beyond Harper and the outside of his goal.
Campbell’s finishing was no more convincing and, after more excellent work from Sanchez, he dragged a chance wide.
Clear opportunities forHull had been non-existent but Arsenal’s failure to add a second ensured that they remained competitive until late in the game, with Bruce adjusting his system to bring on Abel Hernandez and Ahmed Elmohamady.
The pattern, though, remained unchanged and it was for the best three players on the pitch – Rosicky, Cazorla and Sanchez – to combine for Arsenal’s decisive second.
Rosicky had fed Cazorla who again opened up Hull’s defence to allow Sanchez to cut inside and curl his finish past Harper.
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