Arsenal booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup this evening courtesy of a 4-0 victory over Hull City at the KC Stadium.
A poor pass from David Meyler gifted the Gunners the opening goal through Olivier Giroud, who then doubled his personal tally with a little under 20 minutes remaining.
Theo Walcott got in on the act shortly afterwards by slotting the ball into the bottom corner from inside the box, before joining Giroud on a brace with a deflected fourth late on.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
6pmGood evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's FA Cup replay as Hull City and Arsenal do battle once again in this competition. Both sides are embroiled in title races in their respective divisions, but with neither in great form at the moment, the value of a victory, and conversely the damage of a defeat, should not be underestimated. It promises to be an intriguing affair as they fight for the right to face Watford in the quarter-finals this weekend. Let's start with a look at the team news...
6.02pmHULL STARTING XI: Jakupovic; Bruce, Maguire, Davies, Odubajo; Elmohamady, Meyler, Huddlestone, Diame, Powell; Diomande
6.02pmHULL SUBS: Kuciak, Tymon, Robertson, Livermore, Taylor, Aluko, Hernandez
6.04pmWhile we wait for Arsenal to grace us with their selections, let's take a look at that Hull team. The name that most Arsenal fans will probably notice is that of Eldin Jakupovic, so often was he called into action at the Emirates in the original fixture. He made 11 saves to keep the Gunners at bay that day, more than any other keeper has managed at the Emirates this season, and a similar performance tonight could be a big step in the direction of the quarter-finals.
6.06pmSteve Bruce was expected to make changes to his side, as is the custom in the FA Cup now, and he has made no fewer than seven of them tonight, with only Odubajo, Davies, Diame and Huddlestone keeping their places in the starting XI. That sees Alex Bruce come into the back four along with Maguire, to partner Odubajo and Davies, although Bruce could opt to play with three at the back as he did in the original match.
6.08pmThere is a rare start for Nick Powell, and Adama Diomande for that matter as Bruce switches things around up front. That means that there is no place for Abel Hernandez, who drops to the bench despite being his side's main danger man this season. He has 16 league goals to his name this term and will be disappointed to have missed out on this big occasion due to the rotation policy in the cup.
6.10pmElsewhere, there are plenty of Hull players on the field tonight with Premier League experience, including a former Tottenham man in Tom Huddlestone. Elmohamady also look right at home when he was playing in the top flight, so the Tigers certainly have the quality that could hurt the Gunners tonight, despite being a division below their visitors this evening.
6.12pmARSENAL STARTING XI: Ospina; Chambers, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Gibbs; Flamini, Elneny, Walcott, Iwobi, Campbell; Giroud
6.12pmARSENAL SUBS: Macey, Monreal, Ramsey, Reine-Adelaide, Willock, Ozil, Sanchez
6.14pmAs for the Gunners, they have also made changes as expected, although Wenger's hand is a little more limited than Bruce's in the injury department. Hull have a fully-fit squad to choose from, whereas Arsenal are missing a number of key players - including goalkeeper Petr Cech. He probably would have been rested for this game anyway, with Ospina coming in, but it is still a blow to be missing such a big presence and they will be hopeful that he makes a quick return from the calf injury that kept him out of the North London derby.
6.16pmKoscielny is another who missed the North London derby and is absent again today, with Mertesacker and Gabriel both keeping their places at the heart of the defence from the weekend. Indeed, three of the back four remain untouched by Wenger, who perhaps hasn't made as many changes as Hull would have expected, with Chambers coming in as the only new face, replacing Bellerin at right-back.
6.18pmElneny is handed another start for the visitors in defensive midfield, where he will be joined by Flamini, with Coquelin suspended following his red in the North London derby. It is further forward where the bulk of Arsenal's changes lie, though, with the front four all being changed by Wenger this evening. Ozil, Ramsey and Sanchez are all demoted to the bench as Walcott comes in alongside the inexperienced duo of Iwobi and Campbell.
6.20pmLeading the line will be Olivier Giroud, who comes in for Welbeck having himself been left out of the North London derby. Giroud has blown hot and cold at times this season, going on one or two impressive scoring runs but then missing some clear chances. There is no doubt that he knows where the goal is, though, and if he is on form then Hull need to keep a very close eye on him as he can be deadly both in the air and on the ground.
6.22pmIt is not a teamsheet that will necessarily strike fear into the hosts tonight, and they will feel that this is a great chance to pull off an upset and reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. They must have been cursing their luck when they were drawn against Arsenal for the third time in as many years in this competition, but this is a good time to play the Gunners and many may be backing Hull to book themselves a place in the last eight.
6.24pmThe FA Cup is not their priority this season, though, and that is something that Steve Bruce has readily admitted. There has never been a more lucrative time to win promotion to the Premier League, and Hull's main focus for the remainder of the campaign has to be returning to the top flight. Things are going fairly well in the Championship so far, but it is a very close battle and these extra FA Cup games must be putting them at some disadvantage, however slight, compared to the other teams in the race.
6.26pmAs things stand, the Tigers are third in the table and just three points behind the automatic promotion places, four behind top. They do have the benefit of a game in hand over most of the teams around them in the table, including leaders Burnley, but they don't enjoy such a luxury over Middlesbrough, who currently occupy the final automatic promotion place. The likes of Brighton and Derby will still feel that they are in the mix too, so it promises to be an exciting end to the Championship season.
6.28pmHull will hope that their form starts to pick up again sooner rather than later, though. They have only won one of their last five games in all competitions and, while they have also only lost one of their last six, that defeat was in their most recent outing and the draws they have been recording in that time are also valuable points dropped. They had been in fine form before the recent slump, with seven wins from eight, but that one win in five since has seen them slip out of the top two.
6.30pmThey had the chance to move back top of the table last Thursday when they took on Birmingham at St Andrew's, but Jan Toral's 14th-minute strike was enough to give the hosts the win. It was another game that went by with Hull not scoring, which is also a growing concern over recent weeks. Only three teams have scored more than the Tigers in the Championship this season, but in their last five outings in all competitions they have scored just one goal.
6.32pmIf you're not going to be scoring, though, the main thing is that you're not conceding at the other end either, and that is something Hull have done well. They have the joint best defensive record in the Championship, conceding just 20 goals in their 34 outings, while their last six games have seen them ship just one goal - Toral's winner last Thursday. That ended a run of five consecutive clean sheets for the Tigers, but at home they are currently enjoying an ongoing run of six in a row.
6.34pmIndeed, the last goal that Hull conceded in front of their own fans came way back on December 16 in a 2-1 win over Reading. It is over 10 hours since their defence was last breached here, and they have only conceded seven goals in 20 home games all season, keeping 14 clean sheets. That has helped them to boast a formidable home record this term, with just one defeat in all competitions and none since November. They have also beaten both Swansea and Leicester (on penalties) here in the League Cup already this season.
6.36pmThis will not be an easy game for the Gunners, then, and defeat to Championship opponents would probably look like more of a shock than a Hull win would actually be. That is exactly what Arsenal don't need right now, with their season in danger of collapsing around them following a damaging spell of form. Should they go out of the FA Cup then all of their eggs would be in the Premier League basket, with the Champions League tie with Barcelona now surely over for them too.
6.38pmThe Premier League is looking increasingly unlikely this season too, though, much to the frustration of the club's fans. This is without a doubt the best chance that Arsenal have had to win the title since the Invincibles managed it last in 2004, with much less competition from the traditional challengers. However, Arsenal find themselves eight points adrift of leaders Leicester with nine games to go.
6.40pmThat is a sizeable gap to make up, particularly considering Leicester's form and, perhaps more importantly, Arsenal's form. The Gunners are now winless in their last five matches in all competitions, a run made all the more disappointing by the fact it comes of the back of that last-gasp 2-1 win over Leicester last month. That result should have been the catalyst for Arsenal to power on and take the title race by the horns, but instead they have bottled it and a failure to win tonight would make it six in a row without a win for the first time since December 1998.
6.42pmTheir main focus right now is probably not even on the title race, but rather securing Champions League football for next season. While eight points is the gap to Leicester, Arsenal are now only three points above West Ham United in fifth. Other teams in the chasing pack such as Liverpool and current fourth-place occupants Man City have a game in hand over Arsene Wenger's side too, so an improvement in their form is crucial both for their title hopes and for fending off the challenge of those below.
6.44pmDefeat in this match would help them focus solely on the league, but it could also do further damage to Arsenal's confidence following this recent run of form. Their recent away record is not the most impressive, though, with only one win from their last six games on the road and just four from their last 13. It should be noted that only Leicester and Spurs have a better away record than the Gunners in the Premier League this season, and their record is one that many teams would take, but it still isn't quite good enough for where Arsenal want to get to.
6.46pmThings do seem to change in the FA Cup, though. They have lifted the trophy in each of the past two seasons, and over its long and illustrious history, they have won it more often than any other team. Wenger's tally of six wins as manager is a joint high with Aston Villa's George Ramsay, and victory this evening would see them progress into a 15th consecutive round of the competition. The all-time record sequence is 16 rounds, which incidentally the Gunners already jointly hold.
6.48pmThey have not lost a match in this competition since February 2013, more than three years ago, going unbeaten in 15 FA Cup outings since then, However, they have been relatively fortunate in that only three of those games have come away from home. They have, of course, had to play at the neutral venue of Wembley on a few occasions, but it is quite rare to see them travelling to someone else's ground in this competition.
6.50pmPREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the KC Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is a tough one to call, with Arsenal in poor form but clearly having the quality to win this game against lower league opponents. Hull are still in with a big chance of going through, but I think Arsenal might just edge it 2-1, after extra time.
6.52pmHull are winless in their last 15 FA Cup games against top-flight opposition while they have been in one of the lower divisions, which is a run that includes 11 defeats and stretches back to February 1973, when they beat West Ham. By contrast, Arsenal have never lost an FA Cup away game against lower league opposition under Arsene Wenger, last doing so against Sheffield United in January 1996.
6.54pmAs mentioned, these two sides have met in each of the past three FA Cup season, with Arsenal winning in the 2013-14 final having come from two down after extra time, and then beating the Tigers in the third round the year after too. There has only ever been one previous FA Cup meeting between these two sides in Hull, however, and the hosts won it on that occasion - although that was back in 1908.
6.56pmArsenal have won each of their last five visits to Hull in all competitions, though, scoring at least twice on each occasion. The most recent of those came in May of last year towards the end of the Premier League season when the Gunners ran out 3-1 winners, with goals from Sanchez (2) and Ramsey. Hull provided more stubborn opposition when they met in this original tie last month, though, holding Arsenal to a goalless draw.
6.58pmRight we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff now! One final reminder that a home tie against Watford awaits in the next round of this competition, which takes place this weekend.
1 minKICKOFF: Arsenal get us underway at the KC Stadium as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and end their five-match winless streak.
3 minDISALLOWED GOAL! Arsenal have the ball in the back of the net nice and early, with Walcott steering a volley into the bottom corner, but he knows that he is offside and sure enough the flag is raised.
5 minArsenal have dominated possession so far in this one, as was to be expected. The match has quickly fallen into a rhythm which I suspect we will see for the majority of the contest.
7 minIt must be said that the Arsenal away fans are making plenty of noise tonight. The Emirates has a reputation for being quiet, but the Gooners are in good voice here!
9 minHull have just started to see a bit more of the ball in the last few minutes, but still no chances to report for either side.
10 minCHANCE! The first sight of goal arrives for Arsenal as they hit Hull on the break. Ospina throws the ball out to Walcott to launch the counter, and the ball is eventually worked out to Campbell with Odubajo out of position. Campbell holds off a challenge from the full-back, but then curls his effort a few yards wide.
12 minHuddlestone tries to lift a ball over the top for Diomande, who has peeled in behind the defence, but there is just too much on it and it skips behind for a goal kick.
14 minNeither side have exactly done much to inspire their respective supporters so far. It is all being played in the middle third at the moment with neither side able to gain control of the game.
16 minThe ball is fed into the feet of Giroud on the edge of the box and he tries to spin away from his man with a lovely turn, but Bruce stands firm and gets an important challenge in.
18 minConcern for both Mertesacker and Powell here following a clash of heads, and it is the Arsenal man who appears to have come off a little worse. Neither side have moved much since the incident, and both are having cuts patched up.
20 minNick Powell is now bandaged up and back on his feet, but Mertesacker is still flat on his back and having the cut treated. He may not be able to continue here...
21 minUp he gets and, with a plaster on the cut rather than Powell's Terry Butcher look, he walks off the field. Both players then are waved back on by the referee and, after a lengthy stoppage, we're back underway.
23 minDecent spell of passing from the visitors as they make their way down the left flank. The ball is then worked back to a deep area and lifted in towards Giroud, but Jakupovic comes out to claim it well.
25 minGiroud is spending a lot of his time out in the channels at the moment, which is not where Arsenal want to see him. He has gone a long time without a goal, and that drought is going to continue if he doesn't get himself in the box.
27 minAnother stoppage for another head injury here as Maguire stoops down for a header and is caught on the nose by the boot of Giroud. This half has not been entertaining so far, and it looks like we will have a lot of stoppage time at the end of it too.
29 minChambers trips Meyler in a decent position for Hull here. This is a good chance for them to put the ball into the box...
30 minSAVE! Finally, some action! The ball is floated into the middle from the free kick and an almighty scramble ensues in the area. The ball eventually breaks to Meyler on the edge of the box and he drills one towards goal, but Ospina makes a brilliant one-handed stop before the flag is raised against the Hull players racing in for the rebound.
32 minYELLOW CARD! The first card of the evening is shown to Elneny for pulling back Meyler.
33 minARSENAL SUB: Big blow for Arsenal here as Mertesacker is unable to continue after all, with Nacho Monreal coming on in his place.
34 minYELLOW CARD! Giroud quickly follows Elneny in the book for a late challenge that caught Davies right on the ankle. That's a painful one, and Giroud can have no complaints.
36 minArsenal just have not got going at all in this match, although to be fair the game itself hasn't got going either. We have just under 10 minutes left of the 45, but I'd expect at least five minutes of stoppage time due to the head injuries.
38 minBetter from Arsenal as they come forward down the left flank through Gibbs, who puts a low ball into the middle. Giroud is in the mix this time, but Davies manages to put it behind for Arsenal's first corner of the night...
39 min...which comes to nothing as the first corner is cleared at the near post and the second goes far too long.
41 minGOAL! Hull 0-1 Arsenal (Olivier Giroud)
41 minOut of nothing, Arsenal take the lead, and it is an absolute gift that finally ends Giroud's goal drought. An Arsenal attack down the right was petering out into nothingness, with Hull winning back position through Meyler. However, the Hull man then plays a blind square ball with the outside of his boot into the area that goes straight to Giroud, who is left with the easiest of finishes. What was Meyler thinking?!
43 minOFF THE BAR! Arsenal are inches away from a second and, while the first was a gift, this would have been a screamer. A corner is cleared as far as Gibbs around 30 yards from goal and he shapes up a curling effort that he bends beautifully towards the top corner. He couldn't have hit it much better but, with Jakupovic grasping at thing air, the ball strikes the crossbar. What an effort that was.
45 minThere will be five minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
45+2 minHull have their first chance of the night as Powell whips a free kick into the middle that Bruce meets and glances wide. However, it wouldn't have counted anyway as the flag is up.
45+5 minWalcott looks to provide something special as he gets the ball out of his feet and goes for goal, but he drags his effort well wide.
7.58pmMike Jones blows for half time at the KC Stadium, then, and in truth it has been a pretty dire game so far. Even so, Arsenal will be happy enough going into the break with a lead and having controlled 72% of possession. They have not created much, though, and both sides will need to improve in the second half.
8pmNeither side looked likely to break the deadlock on the back of their own play, and in the end it was a gift that provided the opening goal. Meyler tracked back and collected a through-ball, but then proceeded to play a blind pass back into the middle with the outside of his foot. That gave it straight to Giroud inside the area, and the striker had the simple task of slotting the ball underneath the keeper.
8.02pmArsenal came within inches of a sensational second moments later too as the ball was clear out as far as Gibbs, who picked it up at least 30 yards from goal. He shaped up to curl it towards the bottom corner and almost got it to perfection, but with Jakupovic beaten the ball clattered off the crossbar to deny the left-back what would have been a truly spectacular strike.
8.04pmAside from that, the only thing Arsenal have offered in an attacking sense is a Campbell effort early on that ended up a few yards wide. They really haven't got going in this one, although they haven't exactly looked like conceding either. The one chance Hull did have saw Meyler drive a low strike towards goal following a scramble in the area which Ospina did really well to get a hand to. Hull did eventually end up with the ball in the back of the net, only for the linesman to raise his flag when replays suggest that play should have been able to continue.
46 minKICKOFF: Hull get us back underway for the second half here as they look to come from behind to upset the odds and book their place in the quarter-finals.
47 minYELLOW CARD! An early yellow card for Diame in this second half for a robust challenge on Monreal.
49 minDiomande briefly looks to be in behind the Arsenal defence, but he doesn't have the pace to get away from them. He eventually uses the support around him, but by that point Arsenal are back and quickly clear the danger.
51 minYELLOW CARD! Another card for Hull as Maguire goes into the book for a trip on Walcott, and he can't have any complaints.
51 minSAVE! Almost a second for Arsenal as Walcott's dangerous delivery from a free kick is cleared to the edge of the box, where Elneny is waiting. He watches it all the way and shows great technique to send a looping first-time volley towards goal that Jakupovic has to backtrack to tip over.
53 minCHANCE! Decent sight of goal for Hull as Odubajo gets down the left and stands a cross into the middle. Diame rises and gets his head to the ball, but it lacks power and drops wide of the target.
55 minThese Arsenal centre-backs are dropping like flies. Gabriel is the latest to be forced off through injury, which leaves Wenger with a decision to make. He already has Monreal on as an emergency centre-back, so the next move is probably to switch Flamini to right-back and move Chambers inside.
57 minARSENAL SUB: Arsenal are finally able to get a replacement on for Gabriel, and it is Aaron Ramsey who gets the call.
58 minHULL SUB: Hull make a change of their own now, with Sone Aluko replacing Meyler.
60 minHull have half an hour to save their FA Cup dream now but, in truth, they haven't looked like doing so. They need to ask a few more questions of this makeshift defence.
62 minBetter from Hull as they begin to see a bit more of the ball now. They have switched back to three in defence, which should allow the wide men to get forward more often now.
64 minSHOT! Hull come forward in numbers here, with Powell picking the ball up in space inside the Arsenal half. He has Odubajo on his left, but ignores him and proceeds to drag an effort well wide.
66 minCLOSE! Ramsey is inches away from scoring an own goal! Chambers blocks an initial effort that looked to be goalbound, but Hull keep up the pressure and a cross arrives from the right just seconds later. Ramsey gets a glancing header to it, but the ball bounces narrowly wide of the far post.
68 minIt is all Hull at the moment as they go in search of an equaliser. They have stepped up a few gears and are now finally beginning to look a bit like scoring, although Ospina has still had very little to do tonight.
70 minAluko steals the ball well inside the Arsenal half and immediately drives forward. It is a promising position, but his touch is too heavy and allows Monreal to get a foot in.
71 minGOAL! Hull 0-2 Arsenal (Olivier Giroud)
71 minSurely that is tie over now? Giroud gets his second of the night and, while there is another element of luck to this one, it is a good finish from the striker. A cross from the left takes a slight deflection on the way through to takes it past a defender. Giroud reacts really well, though, and then steers a side-footed volley into the far corner.
73 minARSENAL SUB: Another Arsenal injury! Ramsey, who only came off the bench 15 minutes ago, is forced off and replaced by Jeff Reine-Adelaide.
75 minIt's hard to see Hull coming back from this, it must be said. While the deficit was one there was always a chance, but it would be some turnaround if they are able to rescue even extra time from this one now.
77 minGOAL! Hull 0-3 Arsenal (Theo Walcott)
77 minIt's well and truly game over now. It is a slick move from the visitors as Elneny wins the ball inside his own half and launches an attack. It ends with Campbell threading a beauty of a pass through to Walcott, who takes a touch in the box before opening his body and steering the ball into the bottom corner.
79 minWell, this looked like being a very tricky assignment for Arsenal, but they have dealt with it well. Their performance hasn't been the best, but you can't complain at a 3-0 lead away to a team who have only lost at home once all season.
81 minHULL SUB: A change for the hosts here as Andy Robertson replaces Odubajo for the final 10 minutes.
83 minCHANCE! Half a chance for Giroud to grab his hat-trick as he picks up a loose ball inside the area, spins on it and gets a shot away, but it lacks power and is easy enough for Jakupovic.
85 minThere are just five minutes remaining of this match and, considering the injuries Arsenal have already picked up today, I thin both sides would be happy if the final whistle was blown right now.
87 minSAVE! Jakupovic is having to ensure this doesn't get even worse for Hull as Iwobi fires a solid effort towards the top corner that the keeper has to beat away.
88 minHULL SUB: A third and final change for the hosts as Ryan Taylor is brought on to replace Diomande.
89 minGOAL! Hull 0-4 Arsenal (Theo Walcott)
89 minArsenal have a fourth as Walcott is played in down the right channel and drives a low effort towards goal. It takes a deflection off Bruce on the way through, though, which sees it escape Jakupovic at the near post.
90+1 minThere will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.
90+2 minFULL TIME: Hull City 0-4 Arsenal
90+2 minARSENAL REACH THE QUARTER-FINALS OF THE FA CUP!
8.58pmIt is Arsenal who will face Watford in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, then, and in the end it was all rather comfortable for the Gunners. This is a very impressive result considering Hull's home form this season, and the fact that Giroud and Walcott both scored twice is an added bonus. On the flip side, though, Arsenal did lose three players - including their two remaining fit centre-backs - to injuries in the match.
9pmThat is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Arsenal cruise into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Hull City. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. There is more football taking place tonight - with live coverage of the Champions League available with us - so be sure to check that out! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
