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FA Cup: Defending champion Arsenal held 0-0 by 2nd-tier Hull

Hull City's Curtis Davies and Arsenal's Calum Chambers (left) battle for the ball during the English FA Cup, fifth round soccer match at The Emirates Stadium, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday Feb. 20, 2016. Photo credit should read: (Jonathan Brady / PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT - NO SALES - NO ARCHIVES Hull City's Curtis Davies and Arsenal's Calum Chambers (left) battle for the ball during the English FA Cup, fifth round soccer match at The Emirates Stadium, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday Feb. 20, 2016. Photo credit should read: (Jonathan Brady / PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT - NO SALES - NO ARCHIVES

By Associated Press February 20, 2016 1 min read

MANCHESTER, England (AP) – 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 busy upcoming fixture schedule.

Fielding a weakened team ahead of a Champions League 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.

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 retaining the trophy.

Scrapping replays in the FA Cup is among measures being considered to trim the fixture list in English soccer.