Arsenal vs. Hull: Arsene Wenger and Steve Bruce FA Cup Reaction

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger responded to criticism regarding his decision not to rest Alexis Sanchez for the Gunners' FA Cup tie against Hull City after the 2-0 win, a match in which the Chile international once again played a crucial role.   

As shared by ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney, he wanted to rest the forward initially, but Sanchez wanted to play and showed no signs of fatigue:

The Gunners controlled the match from start to finish and took the lead through Per Mertesacker after 20 minutes. The lead should have been extended before long, but Sanchez's late goal ended the Tigers' hope of grabbing an equaliser and sent the hosts through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Once again, Sanchez was the catalyst behind Arsenal's success, with his driving runs putting tremendous pressure on the Hull defenders. He wasn't the only Gunner who looked good on Sunday, however—the squad turned in one of its best performances of the season.

Wenger saw the same thing, per the club's official Twitter feed:

Theo Walcott celebrated his return to the pitch exactly one year after suffering a gruesome injury against Tottenham, and the England international understandably struggled in his first start in such a long time.

His manager acknowledged the winger still has a long road ahead as he attempts to regain his form, although he saw plenty of positives that suggest he'll get there before long:

Francis Coquelin also put in another excellent performance at the holding midfielder position, and the young Frenchman has truly emerged as a valid option to be the club's regular starter. Wenger gave the youngster the praise he deserved:

Looking ahead at the fourth round, Wenger stressed how badly he wants to play the next match at home, per The Independent's Chris Wheatley:

"

Wenger: "We want to play at home in the next round but we'll take what we get. Let's see what happens." pic.twitter.com/o2NyER5CKo

— Chris Wheatley (@GoonerTalk) January 4, 2015"

Hull City manager Steve Bruce didn't field his strongest side and had no qualms admitting the better team won on Sunday, as shared by the Morning Star's Tashan D Alleyne:

Paul McShane returned to the starting XI for the first time since his dust-up with Bruce, and according to the manager, the issue has been resolved, via broadcaster Simon Clark:

"

Steve Bruce sings the praises of Harry Maguire. He says Paul McShane has apologised and he's back in the reckoning #hcafc

— Simon Clark (@simonhul) January 4, 2015"

He also provided an injury update on Mohamed Diame, and things don't look well for the 27-year-old, as BBC Radio Humberside's David Burns knows he will be out for the rest of the season:

Consistency hasn't exactly been Arsenal's greatest strength this season, but on Sunday, the squad put together a complete performance and rightfully earned their spot in the next round of the FA Cup.

Wenger will have some decisions to make in the upcoming transfer window, but the emergence of Coquelin and the return of Walcott can only mean good things for this Arsenal squad.

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