Arsenal 3, Sunderland 0: Affordable tickets combined with half-term for the schools brought a crowd of 47,366 here last night and they left having witnessed romance in the shape of a half-time proposal of marriage - accepted - followed by a lack of it due to Arsenal's slick professionalism thereafter.
Two goals in six minutes, from Emmanuel Eboué and Robin van Persie, and a third from the Dutchman late on, took Arsenal through to the fourth round.
There Arsène Wenger will presumably field another line-up smattered with potential amid the experience. Sunderland were also experimental but Mick McCarthy's priority was always the visit of Portsmouth at the weekend.
Despite all the changes from the weekend - Sunderland made six, Arsenal 10 - there was familiarity. Arsenal's on-loan left-back Justin Hoyte was playing for Sunderland while Arsenal's reserve goalkeeper was Mart Poom, on loan from Wearside.
Wenger's selection managed to be both baffling and intriguing, featuring Sol Campbell, Philippe Senderos and Pascal Cygan in the back four and a quartet of teenagers in front of them. Of these only the 17-year-old Fabrice Muamba was making a full debut.
Muamba, born in Congo but an England youth player, looked useful in a patchy opening period, considering the occasion.
It was a rather more recognisable figure, Van Persie, who was causing Sunderland more discomfort among their rejigged defence. But that it was almost half an hour before the Dutchman delivered the first telling effort of the match told of the midfield clutter smothering both sides.
Exchanging passes with Arturo Lupoli, Van Persie appeared offside when he received the return and should have done better with his shot. Ben Alnwick in the home goal made a straightforward save.
An indication of Arsenal's growing authority came 10 minutes after that, Senderos heading wide a corner from Quincy Owusu-Abeyie. The Swiss defender, free eight yards out, should have hit the target at least. In between those moments Sunderland had one of their own Jon Stead, starting for the first time in over a month, twisting away and striking a weak low drive directly at Manuel Almunia.
Sunderland needed more of that in the second half yet it began with Alnwick making another block from Van Persie after the Dutchman had surged on to a lovely first-time pass from midfield by Sebastian Larsson.
Cygan then missed with a header but via Liam Lawrence on the right. The home team were beginning to offer more of a threat - briefly.
By the hour the game was stretched. It seemed there would be a breakthrough due to the new freedom, though not when Owusu-Abeyie stalled an Arsenal attack with some trickery.
Although that allowed Sunderland to regroup, however, Owusu-Abeyie still found Eboué, advanced from right-back, with a neat pass. Twenty yards out he lined up a shot and drilled it unerringly into the top corner. Alnwick, a promising 18 year-old, did not move.
Five minutes later Alnwick did produce a dive but it was the wrong way as Van Persie struck a fierce penalty, again into the top corner after the substitute Dan Smith had brought down Lupoli. After Saturday's fiasco against Manchester City, Van Persie ensured there was no repeat.
SUNDERLAND: Alnwick, Nosworthy, Collins (Smith 48), Caldwell, Hoyte, Lawrence, Robinson (Whitehead 75), Woods, Welsh (Murphy 67), Stead, Le Tallec. Subs not used: Davis, Gray. Booked: Nosworthy.
ARSENAL: Almunia, Eboue, Cygan, Campbell, Senderos, Larsson (Cregg 89), Muamba, Song Billong, Owusu-Abeyie (Bendtner 90), Van Persie, Lupoli (Stokes 88). Subs not used: Poom, Connolly. Goals: Eboue 61, Van Persie 67 pen, 87.
Referee: M Messias (S Yorkshire).
