Gallas Ends Tigers’ FA Cup Dream

Arsenal 2-1 Hull City

Arsene Wenger has always insisted he believes in using technology to get the big decisions right.

If so, then the Arsenal boss should offer Hull a replay rather than accepting the biggest joke goal the FA Cup has seen for years.

When William Gallas broke Hull hearts by nodding in five minutes from time, it was not only the Hull players who were outraged by the lack of a flag against the Arsenal defender.

Gallas was, at least, two yards in advance of every single Hull player, including keeper Boaz Myhill, as he converted when Johan Djourou flicked on Samir Nasri’s free-kick.

Incredibly, Mike Riley and his assistant let it stand, completing a comeback started by Robin van Persie just as Nick Barmby’s deflected opener looked to have given Phil Brown’s team at least the chance of their first semi-final since 1930.

And it represented a massive escape for Wenger and his shadow side as they got away with a blatant miscarriage of justice to earn a Wembley date with Chelsea.

Hull had shocked the Emirates with their smash-and-grab victory in September but since then much of the air has gone out of the Tigers’ balloon.

Yet Brown’s side simply refused to accept their anticipated role as extras in an Arsenal stroll.

Barmby certainly enjoyed a big slice of luck as his angled left-footer looped off Djourou to leave Lukasz Fabianski stranded after just 13 minutes.

But the former England man deserved credit for reacting quicker than anyone as Gallas allowed Andy Dawson’s lob to bounce beyond him and into the danger zone.

Arsenal, struggling to get Andrey Arshavin into the game on the left, while Carlos Vela was peripheral, needed to regain their poise and use the thrust of Theo Walcott on the right flank.

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Hull, though, were fuelled by belief and the advantage, snuffing out the Gunners with relative ease, breaking with speed and conviction on the counter and so close to going two up on 23 minutes.

Gallas crudely brought down Peter Halmosi 25 yards out and Geovanni’s free-kick was heading for the top corner before Fabianski turned it behind at full strength.

Even so, the danger was not averted, the short corner reaching Dawson whose shot was turned home at the back post by the unmarked Barmby, although the flag was – just – rightly raised to deny him.

Finally, the Gunners woke and Arshavin, coming off the touchline, saw his cross-shot deflected behind by Anthony Gardner.

But Hull remained the more dangerous and Kamil Zayatte was left holding his head as the ball dropped on to the roof of the Arsenal net when he beat the exposed Fabianski to Geovanni’s free-kick 10 minutes before the break.

Brown’s face betrayed his fears after so many misses, although Michael Ricketts kept them in front as he blocked Arshavin from Walcott’s deflected cross, with the Russian then volleying inches wide.

Wenger’s frustrations had been evident throughout that first period, with Myhill still to be tested – but the Hull keeper should have been beaten on 54 minutes.

Arshavin delivered a corner from the left and Abou Diaby rose unchallenged six yards out, only for his downward header to skid past the post with Myhill stranded.

Seconds later, Dawson cleared van Persie’s header off the line, Alex Song wide from the rebound, as Hull rocked under the bombardment.

Myhill pushed van Persie’s free-kick behind and watched the Dutchman’s header ping off the bar.

But there was nothing the Hull keeper could do to prevent van Persie levelling when Arshavin coolly pulled back after substitute Nicklas Bendtner bulldozed his way down the right.

And five minutes from time, Gallas could not believe his luck, nor Hull their ill-fortune, as the officials conspired to kill Brown’s men stone-dead. Beyond harsh.

( Martin Lipton / Mirror )