Why Win at Hull Makes the FA Cup Arsenal's Best Chance of Success This Season

Once again, the FA Cup could save Arsenal’s season. After an emphatic 4-0 win over Hull City, the Gunners are now through to the competition’s quarter-final. Having won the cup in each of the last two campaigns, Arsene Wenger is now on course to complete a remarkable hat-trick.

Certainly, their chances in the other two competitions look slim. The Gunners are still in another knockout competition—the UEFA Champions League—but only by the skin of their teeth. Trailing 2-0 after the last-16 first leg against Barcelona, they go to the Camp Nou with more absurd hope than realistic expectation of progression.

The Premier League does not look good for the Gunners either. After being top at the start of January, they are now eight points behind leaders Leicester City. If Manchester City were to pick up three points from their game in hand, Arsenal would sit in fourth position.

This is a particularly turbulent season, so it’s impossible to write anything off at this stage. However, Arsenal would then need three teams to effectively throw it away. Even in this most unpredictable of campaigns, that’s a lot to ask—especially given the north London club's own inconsistency.

Nevertheless, their superb FA Cup form continues. Wenger rotated his side heavily from the team that drew at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but those who stepped in largely performed well.

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Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott will have grabbed the headlines with two goals apiece, although their all-round performances were not particularly inspiring. Hopefully finding the net will give them the necessary confidence to improve their displays more generally.

Wenger certainly sounds optimistic that this will prompt an upturn in form and said, per Arsenal.com:

"

Giroud had gone a while without a goal and that will help him tonight. He became [the father] of a young boy last night and that will certainly give him euphoria. Walcott scored which is good as well.

"

For the most part, it was the supporting cast who shone. Joel Campbell, playing from the right-hand side, continued to state his importance to the squad with another incisive assist.

Alex Iwobi, in Mesut Ozil’s No. 10 role, was a remarkably assured presence. His first touch is excellent, and his first thought is always to make a forward pass. Behind him, Mohamed Elneny was an energetic and efficient performer in the heart of the midfield.

Arsenal coped well with a couple of injuries at the back too. Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista were both withdrawn with minor problems, but the Gunners were able to reshuffle effectively.

Calum Chambers was key to that, putting in dominant stints at both right-back and centre-half. He played in front of a goalkeeper, Colombian David Ospina, who looks significantly more comfortable than he did earlier this season.

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The Gunners now have a great chance of ending the season with silverware once again. A competition that may not have been a huge priority now takes on added significance.

When asked about the relative importance of the FA Cup, a prickly Wenger replied, per Arsenal.com: “Do you know somebody that has won it [the FA Cup] more than me? That gives you your answer.”

However, even another cup win may not be enough to rescue the Frenchman from the fans’ ire. At full-time, in spite of the victory, a few supporters unveiled a banner calling on Wenger to end his time with the club.

The FA Cup might save Arsenal’s season, but it remains to be seen whether it can save their manager.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.