BRIGHTON // Perhaps the surprise was that there was no surprise.
Compared to the Saturday of shocks, Arsenal’s awkward final few minutes at the Amex barely registered on the Richter scale.
Where others were eliminated, Arsenal advanced.
As the field is short of contenders, Arsenal are catapulted into the status of favourites in a competition now deprived of the Premier League’s top three.
After ending a nine-year wait for silverware in last season’s FA Cup, the trophy could stay at the Emirates Stadium for a further year.
“All those teams going out means it is a massive opportunity,” said Theo Walcott, who scored after 90 seconds as Brighton were beaten and Arsenal chalked up an 11th win in 14 games. This was scarcely the most prestigious victory but it made them anomalies nonetheless.
Of the Premier League’s top 12 sides, only Arsenal and West Ham are guaranteed to be in the FA Cup’s last 16.
“It is only in our sport that lower-division teams can beat those of the higher divisions,” manager Arsene Wenger said, but Arsenal averted another upset with an illustration of strength in depth.
Wenger made seven changes and, unlike his counterparts elsewhere, saw his stand-ins step up.
It helps when a manager has a superior calibre of understudy and an imbalance in the squad will be rectified when the Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Paulista completes his move from Villarreal.
“It is very, very, very close,” Wenger said. “It should be done on Monday.”
Arsenal’s first January additions to the group did not require forays into the transfer market: with Walcott and Mesut Ozil fit, Wenger’s options have expanded.
There has been an injection of quality and the winger and the playmaker both scored in the opening half-hour.
“They have done well for players who have been out for such a long time,” Wenger said.
Walcott’s first goal since New Year’s Day last year was made at another south-coast club.
Calum Chambers broke clear and crossed and Walcott, who was also signed from Southampton, controlled the ball and angled a drive beyond David Stockdale.
Ozil had only played 17 minutes of first-team football since early October but was similarly assured in front of goal.
When Tomas Rosicky found Ozil with a penetrative pass, the German defeated Stockdale.
Both were upstaged by the scorer of Arsenal’s third, with Rosicky meeting Olivier Giroud’s delicate chipped pass with a crisp volley.
“If you love football, you love Rosicky,” Wenger said simply.
The Czech ran the midfield, bringing the blend of craft and graft Santi Cazorla offered against Manchester City seven days ago.
This is when Arsenal are at their best, when artists double up as artisans.
Rosicky has been underused this season but recent displays show Arsenal’s oldest player remains a viable choice, while their best, Alexis Sanchez, struck the bar in a vibrant cameo.
“Overall we controlled the game,” said Wenger. But, as he conceded, not for the whole match.
Nineteenth in the Championship, Brighton are enduring a wretched season and should regret their insipid first-half display.
A more spirited second-half showing illustrated why their fortunes have improved since Chris Hughton’s appointment.
“I am delighted with the way we finished,” the former Newcastle United and Norwich City manager said. “I am not happy with our first-half performance.”
Their initial mistake was to afford Arsenal too much space and time.
When they played with greater urgency, Chris O’Grady turned sharply to angle a shot past Wojciech Szczesny, whose demotion to the status of second-choice goalkeeper was confirmed by his selection.
Wenger uses the FA Cup to give his Premier League stopper a game off and Szczesny scarcely staked a claim to displace David Ospina, making few saves and being beaten twice.
Sam Baldock scored the second with a dinked finish.
Brighton subsequently appealed for a penalty when the ball hit Calum Chambers’s hand.
Instead, Arsenal could have their hands on the famous trophy again.
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