Arsenal's defence of their FA Cup crown got off to a winning start this afternoon as they reached the fourth round with a 2-0 victory over Hull City at the Emirates.

Per Mertesacker opening the scoring for the hosts with a header in the first half, while Alexis Sanchez sealed the result eight minutes from time.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who stood out during the repeat of last season's final.

© Getty Images

Goal

David Ospina: Had very little to do all game as he looks to stake a claim for a regular spot in the first team. A clean sheet is never a bad thing, though. (7/10)

Defence

Hector Bellerin: Used his pace well when he could down the right flank, and put a number of decent crosses into the box, including one during the build-up to the first goal. (7/10)

Calum Chambers: Back in defence and looked a lot more comfortable there. Kept the Hull strikers quiet all night and did everything that was required of him. (7/10)

Per Mertesacker: Supplied the opening goal with a towering header inside the box at an important time for his side. Was also very solid defensively as Hull got no joy in the final third. (8/10)

Nacho Monreal: Contributed towards Arsenal's clean sheet, keeping the dangerous Ince quiet apart from on one occasion in the first half. (7/10)

Midfield

Tomas Rosicky: Neat in possession apart from a spell in the second half that saw Arsenal struggle to keep hold of the ball. Helped his side remain in control of proceedings. (7/10)

Francis Coquelin: A mixed bag. Played a couple of probing balls over for Walcott, but was otherwise wasteful in possession and lucky to stay on the field following a pair of ugly challenges. (6/10)

Santi Cazorla: Pulled the strings from midfield and linked up with Sanchez brilliantly at times. A hub of creativity throughout. (8/10)

Attack

Theo Walcott: Made his first start for exactly a year due to injury, and there were signs of rustiness. His runs to get in behind the defence were good, but on the few occasions he actually collected the ball, he couldn't do anything with it. The 75 minutes he played will be an important step towards his full recovery, though. (6/10)

Alexis Sanchez: Magnificent once again. His work ethic is incredible and, coupled with his ability on the ball, that makes for a special player. Was a menace to the Hull defence all game with a variety of movement, putting on a centre-forward masterclass. Capped it off with a beautifully taken goal and the assist for the opener. (9/10)

Joel Campbell: On the periphery for long spells of the match as he struggled to have a similar impact to those around him. Still showing signs of improvement, but not enough to be a regular just yet. (6/10)

Substitutes

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Replaced Walcott and was a threat with his direct running and pace. Appeared to pick up an injury, though, and limped his way to the final whistle. (6/10)

Chuba Akpom: Replaced the brilliant Alexis late on and didn't have sufficient time to make an impact. (6/10)

Ashley Maitland-Niles: Like Akpom, had no time to show what he can do having been introduced in the closing stages. (6/10)

Goal

Steve Harper: Could not do anything about either goal, but did make a couple of very good saves to deny Campbell and an own goal in the first half. (7/10)

Defence

Paul McShane: Stood up to Arsenal's free-flowing attacks and made some vital interceptions. The best of the lot came when he denied Sanchez a certain goal just minutes after the opener. It was sensational defending. (7/10)

Harry Maguire: Looked right at home against the stars of Arsenal. Made three crunching challenges that were heavy but entirely fair. (8/10)

Curtis Davies: The only man to keep his place in the side from New Year's Day, and was perhaps a little fatigued. Beaten in the air by Mertesacker for the first goal and turned inside out by Sanchez for the second. (5/10)

Maynor Figueroa: Not as effective as McShane or Maguire, but did make a strong tackle on Rosicky to stop him in his tracks. (6/10)

Midfield

Thomas Ince: Came close with an effort of his own making in the first half, but failed to show that sort of quality enough. (6/10)

Tom Huddlestone: Was nowhere near influential enough in midfield as he struggled to get near the likes of Cazorla. Barely had an impact on the game at all. (5/10)

Stephen Quinn: Joined Huddlestone in returning from suspension, but was much more effective than his midfield partner. Passed the ball well, and almost everything good went through him for Hull. (7/10)

Robbie Brady: Never really got going. His greatest attribute is his delivery, but he was not at his best in that respect today. (5/10)

Attack

Sone Aluko: Failed to hold the ball up anywhere near well enough and didn't threaten to make a run in behind the Arsenal defence once, always coming short. (4/10)

Yannick Sagbo: Much the same as Aluko. He made it easy for the Arsenal defence, and countless Hull attacks broke down when they tried to feed the ball to the front two. (4/10)

Substitutes

Ahmed Elmohamady: Offered more of a direct threat with his willingness to run at the defence, but could not make the telling impact. (6/10)

Abel Hernandez: Asked more questions of the defence than Sagbo, the man he replaced, but wasted some good positions with his eagerness to shoot. (6/10)