Arsenal 0-0 Hull City: Five talking points

Arsenal were held to a frustrating goalless draw today in their fifth Round FA Cup clash at The Emirates stadium by a stubborn Hull City. Arsene Wenger, who was taking charge of his 100th FA Cup game saw his team create chances aplenty but lack that killer touch to decide the game once and for all.The game saw the home side have 24 efforts on goal and enjoy 67% of the possession. But when it came to that decisive touch to put the ball in the net, the Gunners struggled to find a way. The best chance of the game, in fact, fell Hull’s way when Sone Aluko got at the end of a swift counter-attack from the Tigers only to hit the ball straight at David OspinaAn inspired performance from Hull City goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic made their job even harder as the Swiss went on to make 11 saves in the game, the highest any keeper has made against Wenger’s side this season.The result means that Arsenal will now have to seek their way through to the next round of the F.A. Cup via a win over the Tigers at the K.C. Stadium in a few weeks time.Here are the five biggest talking points from the game tonight at The Emirates.  

#1 Heroic effort from Hull

Davies was a rock at the back for Hull City

Before discussing or analyzing any other point, the first thing that should be pointed out is the heroic effort put in by the Hull City to eke out the result. Right from the, get go till the end. And right from the top with Adama Diomande to Eldin Jakupovic in goal, Hull players gave it their all to eke out this result and that should be recognized and applauded.

In fact, if it was not for Sone Aluko’s tame effort near the end of the game, the Tigers would have roared out of The Emirates stadium with a fifth round victory over the mighty Arsenal. 

Everyone in the black and gold shirt put in a shift today in North London. The back three of Bruce, Maguire and Davies proved to be a code too tough for Arsenal to crack. Even when they thought they had done so, the excellent Jakupovic came to Steve Bruce’s rescue.

Arsenal found little joy in the middle of the park as Meyler along with Shaun Maloney and Ryan Taylor put in a vigilant shift to stifle much of the creative forces in play. Even when the Gunners to utilize their prowess their wingers, the experienced head of El Mohammady alongside the 16-year-old Josh Tymon fought hard to see out any dangers coming from the touchlines.

Up front, even the lonely Diomande made himself a nuisance for Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker to deal with, using his pace and trickery to full effect.