Hull 0 Arsenal 4 player ratings: Who impressed as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott bagged braces in FA Cup win?
The Gunners ran out comfortable winners and will progress to face Watford at home in the quarter-finals
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal sealed their place in the FA Cup’s sixth round proper with a convincing 4-0 win over Hull City at the KC Stadium, although their victory came at a cost.
Unanswered braces from Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott are unlikely to fully assuage Arsene Wenger on a night when he saw three players forced off through injury.
Per Mertesacker was the first to go, clashing heads with Tigers midfielder Nick Powell in the first half before unwisely continuing until after the half-time break.
Gabriel, his defensive partner, followed minutes later and his replacement, Aaron Ramsey, also left the field prematurely with an apparent shoulder problem.
Ultimately, however, the Gunners will be pleased to have progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition, in which they will face Watford at home on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger made five changes to the side which came from behind to earn a point at Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. Saturday’s goalscorers Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez were left on the bench, as was Mesut Ozil, but those who came into the side repaid the Frenchman’s faith.
Giroud ended a barren spell by diverting David Meyler’s loose pass into the net five minutes before half-time. From then on, Arsenal looked largely comfortable, and progression looked all but certain when the Frenchman doubled his tally.
Walcott, a peripheral figure for most of the night, made sure of victory – first with a side-footed finish past Eldin Jakupovic and then with a late deflected effort, which beat the Bosnian stopper at his near post.
How did we rate each Arsenal player’s performance? Check out the ratings in our gallery below…
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