Arsenal was held to a 0-0 draw by second-tier Hull in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, forcing the titleholder to squeeze a replay into its congested upcoming fixture schedule.
Fielding a weakened team ahead of a Champions league last-16 match against Barcelona on Tuesday, Arsenal created a slew of chances but was denied by a mixture of poor finishing and good goalkeeping from Eldin Jakupovic. Arsenal had 24 shots and Jakupovic saved 11 of them, including a tip onto the post from Joel Campbell's shot.
It was the third straight year that the teams have met in the competition. Arsenal won in the final in 2014 and also in the third round last season on its way to winning the trophy for a record 12th time.
Scrapping replays in the FA Cup is among measures being considered to trim the fixture list in English soccer although Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Friday that he wanted them to stay.
However, Arsenal — and Hull - will be struggling to fit the replay into the schedule before the quarterfinals on the March 12-13 weekend.
"It's a replay neither team particularly wanted with our fixtures coming up," Hull defender Curtis Davies said. Added Hull manager Steve Bruce: "I don't know when we are going to play it!"
Arsenal is bidding to become the first team since Blackburn in 1886 to win the FA Cup three years in a row.
In other matches, Reading won 3-1 against West Bromwich Albion. Watford edged past leeds United 1-0 courtesy goal from Scott Wootton. For Reading, Paul McShane, Michael Hector and lucas Piazon. West Bromwich Albion Darren Fletcher scored in the 54th minute. In other match, AFC bournemouth is playing against Everton.
BARCA WIN 2-1
luis Suarez and Neymar scored again to lead Barcelona to a 2-1 victory at las Palmas on Saturday, extending the defending champions' club record to 32 games without a loss and increasing their overnight lead of the Spanish league.
Suarez struck just six minutes into the match on the Canary Islands, and Neymar re-established the visitors' advantage before halftime after las Palmas Willian Jose had made it 1-1.
Barcelona increased the gap to nine points before second-place Atletico Madrid hosts fourth-place Villarreal on Sunday, when Real Madrid visits Malaga trailing the pacesetter by 10.
On course to retain the domestic title, the reigning European champion returns to the UEFA Champions league on Tuesday with a visit to Arsenal to start the round of 16.