Hull, beaten by Arsenal in the 2014 FA Cup final after leading 2-0 inside the opening 10 minutes, rarely threatened, although David Meyler wasted a good chance when he shot into the side-netting.
Advertisement
The FA Cup’s diminished status means the competition is now often used as an opportunity for youngsters, fringe players or those returning from injury lay-offs to get some first-team football under their belts.
“Ozil was a bit sick over the week so I made a decision to leave him out and Ramsey has played many times”.
They now have to squeeze in a replay at Hull into their busy fixture schedule and Wenger says he was frustrated at his side’s lack of cutting edge.
Drawn FA Cup games should go straight to penalties, thus avoiding a time-consuming replay, according to Hull City manager Steve Bruce.
In Saturday’s other fifth-round ties, Premier League Watford beat Championship side Leeds United 1-0 thanks to Scott Wooton’s 53rd-minute own-goal.
The Gunners face a tough examination when they come up against Champions League holders Barcelona on Tuesday night as they look to progress past the round of 16 stage for the first time in five successive seasons.
In reflection, Arsenal fans will believe the fixture was one they should have prevailed in, and a Championship team should be dispatched every time at the Emirates Stadium.
“Robles’s save kept us in the game”, said Lukaku. England global Welbeck was looking lively on his first start in 10 months and again tested Jakupovic with a driven effort at his near post, with Alex Iwobi then bending a shot just wide following the resulting corner. “It’s a blessing to play next to Ross Barkley and hopefully we can do a good job together”.
“We all love the FA Cup and for our club, the final was the biggest day in our lives”. We had a lot of the ball, but we were probably not incisive enough or accurate enough in our passing in the final third. Allan McGregor has done very well but I’m delighted for Eldin.
“The team I put out has over 600 Premier League appearances between them, so it’s not as though I am putting out a load of rookies. That’s why you negotiate in Brussels at the moment as well”, Wenger added, referring to Britain’s European Union discussions.
Advertisement
“All those things can happen; however, we must get better with regard to the last few games and I’m sure that we will do it”.
