Hull vs. Arsenal: Score, Reaction from FA Cup Round-of-16 Replay

Defending FA Cup champions Arsenal will face Watford in the sixth round of this season's tournament after a pair of braces from Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott guided them to a 4-0 victory over Hull City in Tuesday's fifth-round replay.  

David Meyler's awkward pass across goal gifted the Frenchman his first-half opener, and Theo Walcott teed Giroud up for his second of the game before adding two of his own in the last 15 minutes.

Manager Arsene Wenger's side were pleased to advance in the competition, but it came at a price as Per Mertesacker, Gabriel Paulista and substitute Aaron Ramsey picked up injuries. Arsenal's defence in particular may be concerned about next Wednesday's trip to face Barcelona in the Champions League, as illustrated by Unibet:

The Gunners travelled to the KC Stadium on Tuesday having failed to win in their last five outings, and it was the 0-0 stalemate against Hull that started that poor run of form last month.

After a settling period early on, Nick Powell looked to have put the Tigers ahead after 30 minutes before an offside flag meant the goal wouldn't stand, although ex-Hull boss Phil Brown told BT Sport it should have stood:

Acting captain Mertesacker had to be withdrawn just after the half-hour mark following a clash of heads with Powell, leaving full-back Nacho Monreal to partner Gabriel in central defence.

Lone frontman Adama Diomande attempted to make best use of Arsenal's vulnerable state at the back, but without anything resembling a clean chain of supply, the visitors were allowed the time to finally take a lead.

For all Arsenal's endeavour, it was the error of Hull captain Meyler that finally provided the guests with their breakthrough just prior to the half-time whistle. 

Giroud could hardly believe his luck as Meyler glanced a careless attempted back pass across his own box, and the French finisher was lurking in just the right spot to slot a cruel opener past Tigers goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic. The Sun provided footage of Meyler's untimely howler:

Arsenal almost went in at the break with a two-goal lead too after Kieran Gibbs clipped the Hull crossbar with an effort from range, but Arsenal were made to settle for just the one goal at the halfway mark.

Both teams made changes after the restart, and Ramsey—a goalscorer against Spurs on Saturday—came on in place of injured Gabriel to press Arsenal's advantage, while Sone Aluko replaced Meyler to add some impetus.

The change was evident for Hull, and the home fans were pleased to see their side test Arsenal No. 1 David Ospina on a more frequent basis. But the Gunners were also seeing chances with Ramsey now present.

Just as Hull looked to impose themselves, Giroud dusted off any hopes of a comeback when he poked home from close range following Theo Walcott's clip into the box, via BT Sport:

England winger Walcott then turned finisher as he put the result to bed, with Joe Campbell—who was lively throughout the clash—feeding him on the left edge of the box before cutting in to side-foot past Jakupovic.

Walcott's second was the more impressive of his two goals, however, after Alex Iwobi found his colleague in space on the right flank before the speedster flashed a vicious shot into the near-bottom corner, taking a slight deflection on the way.

As disappointing as the slew of injuries was for Arsenal, KICCA's Ian Stafford questioned whether the north Londoners' recent upturn was the signal of greater things to come:

Premier League opponents Watford will present a difficult obstacle in the next round, but the promise of facing the Hornets on home soil will at least give Arsenal some comfort as their schedule complicates further.

Ironically enough, north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur were the most recent club to win three FA Cups in succession, claiming four titles between 1981 and 1983, and Tuesday's result meant Arsenal's hope of matching that feat lives on.

Post-Match Reaction

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

A bounce-back result to winning form will have lifted Arsenal's spirits following their recent rut and fans can perhaps begin to believe once again in their chances of claiming silverware.

In the wake of a 4-0 rout of Hull City, Wenger's message to the supporters was to judge him at the end of the season, instead of midway through arguably the most difficult part of his campaign, via BT Sport:

The tactician also gave an update on his injured trio, per the Mirror's Hamish Mackay. Wenger said that while Gabriel "looks alright," Mertesacker suffered a concussion, and Ramsey's thigh injury was "a bit more of a concern."

Hull boss Steve Bruce also gave his take on the goings-on at the Emirates Stadium, per James Olley of the London Evening Standard, and appeared to suggest Wenger's doubters may regret their calls for a replacement:

Wenger's side responded to recent pressure just how their manager will have wanted, and the Wenger reign lives on for now, at the very least, as the Gunners continue their quest for an FA Cup hat-trick.