Arsenal continued their fine run of form to go temporarily top of the league. A strong, determined, though not always fluent performance from Arsenal secured a 3-1 victory, a common scoreline this season.
Wojciech Szczesny - 6 - Little to do for the most part, but handled everything that came his way. Made two impressive saves from long distance. Not at fault for Stoke’s goal.
Bacary Sagna - 6 - Beaten too easily in the twenty-first minute, giving away a foul that could easily have been a penalty. Mostly solid however and secured Arsenal’s win in the seventy-first minute with a looping header of Asmir Begovic.
Per Mertesacker - 6 - An inconsistent display from the captain. Was caught out for Stoke’s goal and let Stoke in too easily a few minutes later. As with Sagna, he made up for it by restoring Arsenal’s lead from an Ozil corner.
Laurent Koscielny - 7 - In an afternoon of inconsistent defending, the Frenchman was an assured presence throughout. The calmest of Arsenal’s defenders, Koscielny dealt with the height of Kenwyne Jones with aplomb.
Kieran Gibbs - 5 - His weakest game for some time. Gibbs gave the ball away for Stoke’s goal when trying to chip it over the oncoming attacker. Gave the ball away too often and offered little going forward.
Aaron Ramsey - 7 - The best player in the first half. Ramsey, high on confidence, was everywhere. Strong in the tackle, incisive in his forward play and a fantastic finish for the first goal. Linked up very well with Ozil and Olivier Giroud. His influence waned in the second half, giving the ball away. Could’ve scored a second late on.
Mathieu Flamini - 8 - The best player on the pitch. Always in the right place at the right time and, contrary to the stereotype, kept the ball fantastically. Adds much needed bite and robustness to Arsenal’s midfield.
Serge Gnabry - 6 - A late Theo Walcott withdrawal gave the 18 year-old a first Premier League start. On the whole it was a competent display. The winger’s defensive ability and physical strength was apparent, though in the attacking third he was often too narrow when Arsenal could have exploited Stoke’s sluggish full-backs.
Mesut Ozil - 7 - A memorable home debut for the star signing. Whilst Ozil didn’t shine as he can, he was invariably involved in Arsenal’s attacking moves and inevitably played a role in all three goals, with two well-taken set-pieces setting up Arsenal’s second and third.
Jack Wilshere - 6 - Asked to play on the wing again, Wilshere understandably contributed to Arsenal’s lack of width. On a frustrating afternoon, Wilshere was on the receiving end of several heavy challenges, and the frustration clearly got to his head, with two rash challenges in the first half. Improved in the second half.
Olivier Giroud - 6 - No record for the Frenchman. Despite not scoring for a fifth consecutive league game, Giroud was a constant threat. His link-up play was spot on and he out-jumped Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth throughout. On a better day, would have scored.
Subs
Ryo Miyachi – N/A - Came on after 72 minutes for Gnabry. Although only a short spell, the Japanese winger was lively.
Nacho Monreal – N/A - Little time to shine but sured up a game which was yet to be won.
Mikel Arteta - N/A - Too little time to impress, but a welcome return from injury.
The victory against Stoke was by no means comfortable, but in the end Arsenal superiority came to the fore. Arsenal’s fluid midfield, with Ramsey, Wilshere, Ozil and Gnabry, led to a narrow performance where width could have hurt Stoke.
Stoke’s poor set-piece defending, allied with Ozil’s pinpoint deliveries in the end proved enough for Arsenal to return to the top of the league.
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