A resurgent Arsenal side managed to secure a point away to Stoke City at a feisty Britannia Stadium where the two teams played a goalless draw. The draw means that Arsenal go back to the top of the table with 44 points from 22 games, ahead of Leicester City on goal difference and by a point from Manchester City. It was a well-fought game at a tough venue for the Gunners, who have previously struggled to get points there.
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Here is how players from both sides fared in the game:
Stoke City
Jack Butland – 8
The English goalkeeper put in a top performance for his team. He has been solid in goal for Stoke throughout this season and again showed why he is rated so highly in England. He made a great save in the first half to deny Olivier Giroud. In the second half, he tipped an Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal-bound curled effort over the bar.
Glen Johnson – 7
The former Liverpool man was tremendous when going forward and troubled the Arsenal defence. He put in some really teasing crosses down the right wing but his crosses were dealt with by the Arsenal defenders. He seemed to cope up well with the likes of Campbell and Walcott.
Ryan Shawcross – 6
The defender outmuscled his opposing striker Giroud on multiple occasions. The way in which Giroud was not allowed any space was visible. The defender got in good tackles and won the aerial battles, both in his and opposing side’s box.
Philipp Wollscheid – 6
Unlike Shawcross, the German defender was inconsistent throughout the game. He played some good football and then suddenly was making cynical challenges on Campbell and Giroud. He covered the area behind his defensive partner well.
Erik Pieters – 6
The Dutchman was not very impressive going forward in attack but he never lacked the same composure when dealing with Joel Campbell and Hector Bellerin while defending. He rarely put a foot wrong in the whole game and stopped Bellerin from making darting runs down the right wing to cross for Giroud.
Glenn Whelan – 7
He was one of the Stoke players who carried the midfielder brilliantly throughout the game. He was commanding and calmed everyone around him. His goal-bound shot late into the game was deflected clear by Koscielny. The Irish international was impressive in defence but did not provide much going forward.
Ibrahim Afellay – 7
Afellay provided all the spark for Stoke City in the first half even though it did not produce any goals. The Dutchman was quick to pass and move and terrorised the Arsenal defence with his runs from midfield into the attacking third. The former Barcelona man set the tone for his side, and Mark Hughes would be pleased.
Jonathan Walters – 5
Walter’s job in the game was to move and distribute the ball forward through his crosses from the right wing. But he could not provide many crosses for Joselu and Arnautovic to take advantage of. He was never a threat for the Arsenal backline.
Bojan Krkic – 5
The former Barcelona man did attempt a shot towards Cech in the first half, which went wide of the pole. His main duty was to create opportunities for his front three. He got into the spaces just outside the box but created no real threats and passes for his teammates.
Marko Arnautovic – 6
The Austrian international had a frustrating evening as he was continuously caught offside on multiple occasions. He did not produce anything worthy of a mention but ran well throughout and gave it his best. He helped in closing down the Gunners’ midfielders and pressing them.
Joselu – 6
The former Hannover man put in a fair display and looks to be playing better under Hughes now after a few run of games. He did create some opportunities and tested Cech in the second half with a goal-bound shot. But he needs to control the game better as he has that quality, which was visible only in flashes throughout the game.
Substitutes
Mame Diouf – 6
The forward had his chance after coming on in place of Bojan and made some runs down the left flank. He defended well late into the game when Bellerin got forward.
Charlie Adam – 5
The old man ended up with just a couple of touches of the ball as he came on really late.
Marco Van Ginkel – 5
The Dutchman was brought on by Hughes to inject some freshness into the team.
Arsenal
Petr Cech – 8
The Arsenal stopper could not have done better to keep out the Stoke attacks. He made some commanding stops in the second half when the Potters looked to find the winner. He was appropriately in charge of his penalty box. He had a good outing and kept another clean sheet.
Hector Bellerin – 6
The youngster was pinned back in the first half but got forward in the second, but his crosses were not up to the mark or were defended out for a corner. He is a real find for Wenger and was solid in defence, not allowing many opportunities to Stoke’s players.
Per Mertesacker – 7
The German was very impressive during the game. With his experience, he stood out tall to win the aerial battles and demolish all the attacks Stoke had up their sleeves. He seemed confident throughout the game.
Laurent Koscielny – 7
The French defender was very good in dealing with through balls played to him by the Stoke players. He made an important intervention in the second half to stop an effort bound for the goal. It was a fine performance from the defender as Joselu did not really trouble the Arsenal defence.
Nacho Monreal – 7
The fullback was solid in defence like he has been throughout the season. Even though Stoke had physically strong players who was threatening, the Spaniard held his own and never let any real cross go in from the right wing. He also got into the attacking areas and provided width to the Arsenal attacks.
Mathieu Flamini – 7
He did a decent job of shielding the back four as he injected the leadership in the Arsenal defence. He made sure that Joselu does not get enough service from the midfielders. He did not give too much room to Bojan and company which helped Arsenal take a point home.
Aaron Ramsey – 7
The Welshman controlled the game beautifully and was the target of boos from the home crowd every time he touched the ball. He did not get forward as much as he would have liked but did show plenty of energy in midfield.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6
The England international must be disappointed again having not made anything out of the opportunity he got. He did shoot from outside and around the box but had no real efforts to worry the Potters’ defence.
Joel Campbell – 6
The midfielder has made this position his own. He was trusted by Wenger to start in a big game in the absence of Alexis, and he delivered yet again. The Costa Rican looked confident and defended well. He did drift in from the right wing, but could not create a pass in the final third.
Theo Walcott – 7
He was not very impressive in the first half but got on well in the second. The Arsenal man ran at defenders with ease and created opportunities for his side. He will be hoping his run of form can continue and that he does not get injured now. He was lively in patches but seemed angry at being substituted.
Olivier Giroud – 6
The French striker went missing for parts of the game. But he kept working hard for his side. He pressed the home team and saw a shot in the first half denied by Butland. The Frenchman put in a fine performance, keeping the ball and passing it to his teammates in better positions. But no real finishing opportunities.
Substitutes
Alex Iwobi – 6
The youngster came on in place of Theo Walcott and was not seen much on the ball. He ran confidently with the ball at his feet.
Calum Chambers – 5
The young versatile Englishman came on late to bring fresh legs on the pitch for Arsenal. He did not see any of the ball except for making a couple of tackles.
