You will have to blame Cech and Butland for this result: the two goalkeepers were outstanding in everything they did. Stoke were excellent for the first 70 minutes but faded in the final moments and dropped increasingly deeper. Arsenal really missed the invention and composure of Ozil and Sanchez here: but both should be back in contention to face Chelsea next Sunday. It was a good game, but lacking in quality in the final third. At least nobody got their leg broken. In fact, nobody was even booked!
Petr Cech punches the ball clear ahead of Marko Arnautovic. Photograph: JMP/Rex Shutterstock
Arsenal return to the top of the Premier League on goal difference after 22 games, tied with Leicester City on 44 points and one point ahead of Manchester City. Stoke remain seventh, three points adrift of West Ham.
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90 min: Adam whips a delivery to the near post, there is a flick and Ramsey, standing on the far post, heads the ball off the line. Ramsey’s clearance falls to Joselu, who pings an effort towards the far post, but Cech sticks out a foot, and somehow Arsenal get the ball clear. Desperate stuff from Arsenal, Stoke could have nicked it!
89 min: Adam does well to dig out a cross, and Monreal once again beats Walters to the ball at the back post. Whelan comes onto the clearance and volleys at goal … Koscielny gets his head on the ball, and Stoke have a corner. A sting in the tail for Arsenal?
88 min: Bellerin has got further and further forward this second half, but has been well shepherded by Diouf. The Senegalese has done nothing but defend since he came on.
Diouf keeps ahead of Bellerin. Photograph: BPI/Rex Shutterstock
87 min: Stoke make a double change: Arnautovic and Afellay coming off for Charlie Adam and Marco van Ginkel. Looks like Hughes is playing for the draw.
85 min: Chance for Campbell! The Costa Rican finds himself in some space, stands Pieters up, before attempting to curl a shot inside the far corner. It flies two or three yards wide. Waste.
Pieters vies with Campbell. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
83 min: Stoke have resorted to pinging long balls out whenever they retrieve the ball. Perhaps this is Crouch’s moment? One of these clearances breaks kindly to Johnson, who cuts in from the right and has a chance to shoot but instead (unsuccessfully) tries a reverse pass. Shoot Glen!
77 min: Stoke are sitting very deep now that Arsenal are dominating the ball. “Get up, get up” urges Mark Hughes from his dugout. Iwobi has made a real difference since coming on, he looks very tidy.
75 min: “I think Arsenal do have the two best full-backs,” agrees Gene Mackie, “but unlike Coleman-Baines, Ivanovic-Azpiliqueta or Clyne-Bertrand, there’s not really been enormous competition this season. I had high hopes for Darmian-Shaw, but that’s fallen flat (no fault of the excellent Shaw). A defence of the season so far would probably be Butland / Bellerin - Alderweireld - Vertonghen - Bellerin. Not too grim up north London.”
73 min: Arsenal’s travelling support are in fine voice, urging their team towards them. With Iwobi on the left, suddenly Arsenal find a new lease of life, pressing and probing on the edge of Stoke’s penalty area. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey have chances to shoot, but instead they go right to Bellerin who wins a corner. Cleared by Whelan.
68 min: The game is really opening up. It could go either way at this point. Stoke have probably been the better over the 70 mins but I can definitely see Arsenal nicking this.
“How are we supposed to judge Ozil based on his DVD collection with just that low resolution image?” asks Thomas Hopkins. Suggestions are welcome as to what he might have in that.
66 min:Arsenal again have Cech to thank for keeping the scores at 0-0, diving smartly to his right after Joselu struck a low shot with his left foot. He is Arsenal’s MOTM at present.
Joselu shoots. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
64 min: Bojan comes off for Diouf, who was Stoke’s top scorer last season, but hasn’t really got back into the team since he took a leave of absence after his mother died in last year’s Hajj crush in Saudi Arabia. Bojan has been quiet today.
62 min: A long diagonal finds Pieters, who whips a delightful cross to the back post, where Walters is loitering. Monreal does well to head behind under pressure. Do Arsenal have the best two full-backs in the league?
58 min: “That photo of Ozil has dashed my dreams,” writes Ralph Ward. “I always imagined him living in a sleek space age bachelor pad not what appears to be some sort of nightmare seventies bungalow.”
“I’m not sure you get Georgian sash windows in a 70s bungalow. More of a north London vibe,” corrects Robert McAllister.
56 min: What a double save from Cech! Arsenal are leaving plenty of gaps as they pour forward, and Stoke counter-attack once again. Arnautovic breaks clear of Ramsey and Flamini and for a moment, it’s five on four. The Austrian finds Joselu who forces Cech into a smart save to his right. Bojan is there to tap home the rebound … no! Cech dives again to his right and forces the ball behind. That’s world-class goalkeeping.
Cech punches the ball away from Arnautovic. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
54 min: The game is definitely opening up, and the noise levels have gone though the roof, as the action swings from one end to another. This time Stoke break forward down the right, and Bojan takes aim, but Koscielny makes a quite magnificent block on the slide.
52 min: Another Arsenal penalty shout, another appeal turned down by Pawson. Wollscheid definitely impeded Walcott, but the contact was outside the area, before the Englishman tumbled into the area. Nothing awarded, Stoke got away with one there.
50 min: Arsenal spring forward through Monreal down the left, and the Spaniard plays the ball to the feet of Giroud, who goes down in the area. No penalty, despite Arsenal’s protests. The Gunners are definitely missing Ozil’s composure in the final third. Meanwhile, somewhere in north London …
Watching the match vs. Stoke! Hopefully I'll be back well for the next match. But for now: COME ON YOU GUNNERS 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/vrS8ncBieJ
48 min: Arnautovic is tackled from behind but Craig Pawson plays a good advantage and Joselu forces a corner. The cavalry trot forward from the back for the set-piece but the delivery is far too close to Cech, who is fouled by Shawcross.
Cech held by Shawcross. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
46 min: Ramsey charges down a Pieters clearance, and then chases down a seemingly lost cause to win his team a corner, when really he had no right to get near the ball. The Welshman takes the corner, Giroud steals a march on Shawcross and plants a bullet header in the bottom corner, but Butland gets a strong left hand out and tips it behind! Great save!
Giroud almost scores, but for Butland’s reactions. Photograph: BPI/Rex Shutterstock
Half-time quiz: can somebody please tell who is standing next to Michael Carrick in this photo? I know him, but I can’t place him. Driving me mad.
Michael Carrick of Manchester United watches from the stands during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United. Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images
45 min: One minute added on here. “Put it in the box, put it in the box” the Stoke bench shout at Johnson. “We’ve got one minute here.” Johnson obliges. Koscielny clears.
42 min: Stoke are definitely looking the more likely, without carving out too many clear-cut chances. They actually have looked best on the break: but some poor decision making from Walters and some good defending from Monreal has kept the score at 0-0.
40 min: “Best goalkeeper this season Butland?” questions Maajid Bashir. “Have you seen much of De Gea this season? He’s been far and away the best!”
*Donning tin hat* I’d say De Gea is a better keeper overall, and he’s certainly made some more impressive individual saves (the one at Watford springs to mind), but I’d say Butland has been the busier and more consistent throughout the season.
“Jack Butland is the one of the best goalies in the Premier League, emails Dav Hewison. “In my opinion a lot better than Joe Hart. Should be England’s No1!”
38 min: Johnson channels the spirit of Delap and hurls a throw in into the area. It is well dealt with by Mertesacker. Arsenal may have been working on that.
