OUTSTANDING: Arsene Wenger was delighted with Petr Cech's performance

It was a game which brought out the best in the two stoppers with Jack Butland also impressing.

Wenger was pleased to come away from the Britannia with a point - a place which has become a notorious bogey ground for the Gunners.

The draw took Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League and the Frenchman was pragmatic about the philosophical.

Wenger told the BBC: “Maybe we had a better opportunities to score, they played very well, very physical and were very direct, which is an unusual style for them.

"We needed to be strong physically and had a great spirit, we fought very hard but couldn't take our chances. It is a hard fought 0-0. We have done better than years before at this ground and showed we can fight even when we miss certain players.

"Petr Cech was outstanding, we needed a player like him in the air when Stoke played that kind of game."