Arsenal advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup as they recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Hull City, thanks to a late strike by Alexis Sanchez and Per Mertesacker's early goal.
Sanchez was withdrawn from the game after 84 minutes had passed but the striker had inflicted the damage on Hull before he took his seat on the bench.
Sanchez set up the first goal and he scored the second one late on, a sharp spin on the edge of the area and trademark curled finish for his 16th goal of the season, as Arsenal began the defence of their FA Cup by a comfortable win against a team they had beaten in the final last May, The Guardian reported.
Hull had wanted revenge for their cup final defeat but they never threatened an upset as they seemed to be tired from the festive programme and Steve Bruce made ten changes to the team that had beaten Everton on New Year's Day.
The Hull manager made the point that his midfielders David Meyler, Jake Livermore and Gaston Ramirez had each covered more than 45 kilometres in the three Premier League fixtures since Boxing Day and suggested that to ask them to do any more running would have been unreasonable.
However, Bruce said that Sanchez did not get tired and there was no sign of him being tired, adding that the Chilean's appetite and work-rate is what every player should look at. He also said that Sanchez is a world-class player.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that he had been tempted to rest Sanchez, who has now started 27 of the club's 30 matches this season while he has also played in six long-distance friendlies for his country.
Wenger admitted that Sanchez recovers very quickly and the striker doesn't look to have fatigue problems, according to their tests.
Sanchez whipped over the corner that Mertesacker headed past Harper, having risen above Curtis Davies to score his first goal since his equaliser in the FA Cup semifinal victory over Wigan last April.
In the 80th minute Sanchez also blasted to the byline to cross for the substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who could not convert, the report added.
