Hull City vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Arsenal are on the verge of yet another season of UEFA Champions League football following a 3-1 victory over Hull City in the Premier League on Monday night at the KC Stadium.
First-half goals from Alexis Sanchez—who scored twice—and Aaron Ramsey put the Gunners three goals ahead at half-time. Hull hit back through Stephen Quinn early in the second half, but Arsenal ran out comfortable winners.
The result takes Arsene Wenger's side up to 70 points, level with Manchester City. The Gunners still have a game in hand and will fancy their chances of finishing second behind champions Chelsea.
Hull, meanwhile, are in trouble at the other end of the table. The defeat dropped Steve Bruce's men to 17th, one place and one point above the relegation zone. Sunderland are 18th but could overtake four teams in front of them with a victory in their extra game in hand.
Here are our winners and losers from Monday night's match.
Winner: Alexis Sanchez
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Alexis Sanchez scored twice, underlining his importance to Arsenal in his debut season.
In the 28th minute, the Chilean needed a bit of good fortune to break the deadlock as his deflected free-kick looped past Hull City goalkeeper Steve Harper and into the net.
His second, in first-half stoppage time, was much more impressive. A swift, flowing attack saw Aaron Ramsey pick out Sanchez with an excellent pass against the grain. From there, the former Barcelona man rounded Harper with ease and slotted into the open net.
His first goal was far from beautiful, but it hardly mattered. As is usual for the Chilean, Sanchez worked hard throughout the match, creating opportunities, scoring goals, running at defenders with menace and generally providing a spark for Arsene Wenger's side.
Taken together, his performance reinforced a theme that has been so prevalent throughout the campaign: When Sanchez plays his best football, so do Arsenal.
"What makes Alexis' performances so impressive is (the) list of big players (the) past few seasons who've come from La Liga (and) struggled at first," tweeted NBC Sports analyst Kyle Martino.
Unlike so many players who find the demands of English football overwhelming at first, Sanchez has adjusted to the Premier League seamlessly. The Chilean fully deserved his place in the PFA Team of the Year, and if he maintains his form, he will rank among the favourites for next season's Player of the Year.
Loser: Steve Bruce
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Hull entered Monday's match perched precariously above the relegation zone, just one point ahead of Sunderland in 17th place. With that in mind, one might have expected a tough, dogged, defensive performance from the Tigers. Instead, Steve Bruce's side seemed to lack cohesion, and Arsenal eventually came away with a comfortable victory.
If Hull had a plan, it wasn't apparent. With his team facing a relegation fight, Bruce did not set his side up to succeed. At SB Nation, Kevin McCauley noted:
"From the opening couple minutes, it was clear that Hull weren't going to put pressure on the ball, nor were they organized defensively or dangerous on the counter. They were just 11 bodies, and if Steve Bruce did put together any kind of coherent gameplan, his team never looked like they had intentions of executing it. They were just bad, and were always going to be bad.
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Hull still have every chance of avoiding relegation, but the Tigers must perform better than they did Monday night against Arsenal. And Bruce must take a better approach in the final three games of the season.
"We have to respond," Bruce told Sky Sports, via BBC Sport. "(The players) have been used to that over the last couple of years but we have to dust ourselves down and get ready for the weekend and the next few games because we are still in there with a shout."
Winner: Arsenal's Midfield
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Arsenal's midfield collectively turned in an excellent performance at the KC Stadium. In fact, recognizing each individual performance would likely require too many slides for our purposes.
At the base of midfield, Francis Coquelin again served as a rock, showing once more that he can fill a role that has been a void in Arsenal's squad for several seasons. As B/R's James McNicholas recently wrote, the Gunners now have their holding midfielder.
In the other withdrawn role, Santi Cazorla excelled yet again. The Spaniard assisted Aaron Ramsey's goal with a superb raking pass over the top, and he was typically tidy with the ball at his feet.
Ramsey, meanwhile, scored a goal and an assist and played one of his best games of the season. After failing to match his output from last year for most of the current campaign, he now has a solid base upon which to build as the FA Cup Final approaches.
Mesut Ozil impressed in a free role with fantastic flicks and precise passing. The German is in fine form, and if Arsenal are to mount a title challenge next season, he will surely play a starring role.
Loser: Sone Aluko
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Arsenal were all but out of sight by half-time, holding a 3-0 lead after scoring three times in the final 17 minutes of the opening period. But the situation could have been so different if Sone Aluko had converted a clear chance in the 23rd minute.
The opportunity arrived as Robbie Brady whipped in an excellent cross from the left, picking out Aluko at the far post. The Nigerian had a free header, but he mistimed his leap and failed to trouble Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina.
From there, Arsenal took control, and Hull had missed their chance.
Winner: Jack Wilshere
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Arsenal's Jack Wilshere entered the match as a second-half substitute, replacing Aaron Ramsey in the 68th minute. The English midfielder gave Arsenal a different dynamic with his powerful, incisive running with the ball at his feet and could have won a penalty late in the match when a Hull defender's hand blocked his shot.
But the reason Wilshere is a winner here is because the appearance was his first since Nov. 22 following an extended injury layoff. It is difficult to deny Wilshere's talent, but it is also impossible to ignore a troubling injury history that has derailed the Englishman's development so often and so cruelly.
Arsenal and Wilshere will be hoping for a lengthy run in the squad as the end of the season approaches and perhaps even more. With a fit Wilshere at his disposal, manager Arsene Wenger will have another strong option as the Gunners attempt to mount a serious title challenge next season.
Loser: Dame N'Doye
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Dame N'Doye had been in relatively good form for Hull since signing from Lokomotiv Moscow in February, scoring five Premier League goals, including two against Crystal Palace last month.
But against Arsenal, the Senegalese striker appeared out of his depth. N'Doye created moments of danger but did not exhibit enough quality to trouble Arsenal's defense, which at times appeared less than airtight.
Winner: Arsenal and Arsene Wenger
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Arsenal didn't just beat Hull. The Gunners played their preferred brand of attractive attacking football and put on a performance that featured some spectacular moments.
Calling the Gunners "superb," the Daily Mirror's John Cross tweeted: "(Arsenal were) absolutely breathtaking at times. Hull had a woeful spell and some awful luck. But Arsenal on another level."
Manager Arsene Wenger will be pleased with his side's showing, and fans will be happy to note a couple of details.
First, Arsenal are all but certain to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the 18th straight season. Fifth-placed Liverpool are nine points behind with only three games in which to make up the deficit. But even if they do so, the Gunners have a far superior goal differential.
Second, the win meant Monday was St. Totteringham's Day, an occurrence observed by Gooners when their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, can no longer overtake their side. This is the 20th consecutive season Arsenal will finish above their neighbours, and it seems North London will remain red for some time to come.
Chelsea's victory on Sunday officially ended the title race, but Arsenal and Wenger no doubt will be looking ahead to next season and hoping to push the Blues for the Premier League's top spot. Ending the current season in strong form will only serve as a confidence booster in that quest.
"We created some good moments today," Wenger told BBC Sport. "Overall I could see a good mix between focus, fluency and confidence—and with the technical qualities we have we created some good moments."
Wenger added: "It is all about finishing second for us, step by step, I believe now we are certain to make the top four and now it is about finishing second but even more so to keep the quality high and concentrate on the next game."
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