Arsenal bounced back from two defeats to comfortably dispose of Stoke City today.
I was a bit surprised that Wenger had opted to play Arshavin as the lone striker but it turned out to be the correct decision as the little Russian was much more influential through the middle as he usually is on the wing. I was a bit concerned that we would stuggle against a physical Stoke but these concerns were unfounded as they didn't really offer much going forward even with Delap's long throws.
I think the scoreline flattered Stoke a little bit as we could easily have been two up in the first 15 minutes but for poor control by Arshavin when he was through on goal. Our movement in the first half was good and when Arshavin was brought down in the area it looked like we would break the deadlock, however Fabregas's penalty was well saved by Thomas Sorenson. Thankfully Arshavin didn't miss when presented with his next chance which he tucked away superbly. Febregas was very unlucky to have a goal bound shot cleared of the line by our very own Eboue! The spaniard didn't have a great game today but this was a result of not having a target man to aim for which meant he had to be especially intricate in his passing which was a little off.
Second half was a bit of a stroll and Arshavin had a shot defelcted onto the bar when it seemed almost certain that he would score. Arsenal finally put the game to bed when Aaron Ramsey who was on for the injured Eboue strolled through the Stoke defence and hit a good shot from the edge of the area. The remainder of the match was a non-event and I was personally pleased that we managed to keep a much needed morale boosting clean sheet.
Next up is Liverpool next Sunday which I'm sure will be a much tougher game all round.
Player Ratings
Almunia 5 - looked uncomfortable every time Delap launched one of his long throws, clearly not good enough and Wenger needs to buy a top quality goal keeper in January.
Sagna 8 - Mr reliable, another solid game and did well going forward.
Gallas 8 - Coped well today and didn't put a foot wrong.
Vermaelen 8 - Was solid today.
Traore 8 - Best performance I've seen from the frenchman in Arsenal shirt, looked good going forward.
Denilson 6 - Just doesn't do enough for me and gave the ball away too many times.
Fabregas 6 - Not one of his better games but still laid on some lovely passes.
Rosicky 7 - Thought he played well and was a shame we didn't see him in the second half.
Nasir 8 - One of our better performers today, ran at the Stoke defence with purpose and was very difficult to shake off the ball.
Eboue 8 - Excellent today, so good on the ball and always gives 100%.
Arshavin 9 - Star man, his best performance of the season - he's much more influential in the middle, scored a lovely goal and could have scored more.
Have a great Saturday evening folks.
I was a bit surprised that Wenger had opted to play Arshavin as the lone striker but it turned out to be the correct decision as the little Russian was much more influential through the middle as he usually is on the wing. I was a bit concerned that we would stuggle against a physical Stoke but these concerns were unfounded as they didn't really offer much going forward even with Delap's long throws.
I think the scoreline flattered Stoke a little bit as we could easily have been two up in the first 15 minutes but for poor control by Arshavin when he was through on goal. Our movement in the first half was good and when Arshavin was brought down in the area it looked like we would break the deadlock, however Fabregas's penalty was well saved by Thomas Sorenson. Thankfully Arshavin didn't miss when presented with his next chance which he tucked away superbly. Febregas was very unlucky to have a goal bound shot cleared of the line by our very own Eboue! The spaniard didn't have a great game today but this was a result of not having a target man to aim for which meant he had to be especially intricate in his passing which was a little off.
Second half was a bit of a stroll and Arshavin had a shot defelcted onto the bar when it seemed almost certain that he would score. Arsenal finally put the game to bed when Aaron Ramsey who was on for the injured Eboue strolled through the Stoke defence and hit a good shot from the edge of the area. The remainder of the match was a non-event and I was personally pleased that we managed to keep a much needed morale boosting clean sheet.
Next up is Liverpool next Sunday which I'm sure will be a much tougher game all round.
Player Ratings
Almunia 5 - looked uncomfortable every time Delap launched one of his long throws, clearly not good enough and Wenger needs to buy a top quality goal keeper in January.
Sagna 8 - Mr reliable, another solid game and did well going forward.
Gallas 8 - Coped well today and didn't put a foot wrong.
Vermaelen 8 - Was solid today.
Traore 8 - Best performance I've seen from the frenchman in Arsenal shirt, looked good going forward.
Denilson 6 - Just doesn't do enough for me and gave the ball away too many times.
Fabregas 6 - Not one of his better games but still laid on some lovely passes.
Rosicky 7 - Thought he played well and was a shame we didn't see him in the second half.
Nasir 8 - One of our better performers today, ran at the Stoke defence with purpose and was very difficult to shake off the ball.
Eboue 8 - Excellent today, so good on the ball and always gives 100%.
Arshavin 9 - Star man, his best performance of the season - he's much more influential in the middle, scored a lovely goal and could have scored more.
Have a great Saturday evening folks.
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