Arsenal held firm to see off Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion and book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Arsenal took the lead inside two minutes with Theo Walcott rewarding Arsene Wenger’s faith with a fine goal as he controlled before turning to fire past goalkeeper David Stockdale.
Mesut Ozil, another player back in the starting lineup after injury, then slid home a deserved second to give the visitors a 2-0 lead going into the break.
Brighton were given hope five minutes into the second half when Chris O’Grady found space at the edge of the area to turn and fire past Wojciech Szczesny, but Arsenal restored their two-goal cushion within 10 minutes as Tomas Rosicky volleyed home.
Brighton, though, refused to be beaten, and Sam Baldock revived the home fans’ hopes with a dinked finish with around 15 minutes to play.
Alexis Sanchez came close for Arsenal when he came off the bench and hit the woodwork with a deflected free kick, but ultimately the Premier League side progressed with a 3-2 win.
Carles Gil helped fire Aston Villa through as they avoided an upset to beat Bournemouth 2-1.
The midfielder’s first goal for the club on his full debut put the hosts ahead against the battling Cherries, who troubled Villa in the first half.
Andi Weimann’s second-half strike — his first goal since November — then proved crucial as Villa extended their lead.
Callum Wilson replied deep into stoppage time but the visitors ran out of time to mount a comeback.
Substitute Diafra Sakho headed West Ham into the fifth round, breaking the hearts of brave Bristol City with an 81st-minute winner in a 1-0 win at Ashton Gate.
It was the striker’s first appearance since suffering a back injury against West Brom on New Year’s Day and he marked it by rising at the far post to beat Frank Fielding from close range after Andy Carroll had done well to get in a cross from the right.
The outcome was harsh on the League One promotion contenders, who were competitive throughout and gave their Premier League opponents all the trouble they could handle.
