Arsenal tamed Steve Bruce’s Tigers on Tuesday night as the Gunners cruised to a 4-0 win at the KC Stadium to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Here’s five things we learned from the rampant replay victory…
5. Arsenal have a Friend in Kevin
This was only Arsenal’s fourth away victory in domestic competitions since Halloween. Kevin Friend has been the referee in charge of all four of these wins. Spooky!
4. Gunners do have strength in depth
Arsene Wenger made six changes to his starting XI, giving the likes of Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez the night off.
His ‘weakened’ team were brilliant and totally blew away a side who are likely to be back in the Premier League next season.
Scoring four goals against a Hull outfit who have conceded just six times in 16 home league games this term is no mean feat.
3. Arsenal need strength in depth
As deep as it is, Arsenal’s squad is set to be stretched. That’s because THREE players picked up injuries in the line of duty against Hull.
Per Mertesacker went off with concussion in the first half, after an ugly clash of heads. Fellow centre-half Gabriel then limped off too – leaving the Gunners with Nacho Monreal and Calum Chambers in the middle of defence, and Matthieu Flamini at right-back – before Aaron Ramsey worried his manager by picking up a thigh problem.
2. Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud CAN work together
They’ve been rivals for a starting place for much of the season, but Wenger decided to stick both in his lineup tonight and it paid dividends.
Leading the line, Giroud scored two and created plenty of space for Walcott to arrive from the left flank and bag a brace of his own.
1. More Michael Owen and Savage shanter must be suffered
The result of tonight’s game ends a farcical situation which had left Arsenal fans unsure who they were playing this weekend, or when!
Had Arsenal lost, they would have hosted West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.
However, as they remain in the FA Cup, they will instead welcome Watford on Sunday. That game will be broadcast on BT Sport, meaning more Michael Owen and Robbie Savage for sofa-bound Gooners to endure.
Who would you rather let shit in your ears for 90 minutes? #HULARS @themichaelowen @RobbieSavage8
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) March 8, 2016
SEE ALSO: Arsene Wenger press conference translated from English to honest: Gunners boss doesn’t give a f***!