Arsenal won comfortably at Stoke to crank up the pressure on Liverpool ahead of their trip to West Ham on Sunday. This is traditionally an awkward fixture for the Gunners, but Arsene Wenger's men showed steel and skill to record just their second win at Stoke of the Premier League era.

Olivier Giroud started and finished the scoring, book-ending strikes from Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. Stoke's only goal ought to have been disallowed; Peter Crouch used his hand to steer the ball into the net.

Positives

Arsenal's new 3-4-2-1 formation continues to look remarkably solid and it's startling what a difference adding a third centre-back has made. Suddenly the defence has tightened up and the whole team looks more confident as a result.

It was also heartening to see Ozil and Sanchez combine as thrillingly as they did in the early part of the season. There are gifted players in this Arsenal team and now have a solid enough platform to show of what they're capable.

Negatives

It's difficult to see a negative in any aspect of the performance. The one concern will be the injury to Sanchez, who was substituted with what looked to be a thigh problem. The Chilean forward is utterly essential to Arsenal's hopes of ending the season on a high.

Manager rating out of 10

8 -- Wenger changed his line-up in anticipation of a physical battle, bringing Giroud and Francis Coquelin into the starting XI. Both changes worked a treat; as well as Giroud's brace, Coquelin played an incisive ball in the build-up to the first goal. This was a hugely impressive result for Wenger, as Arsenal kept their top-four hopes alive and continued to build momentum ahead of the FA Cup final.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Petr Cech, 7 -- He was robbed of a clean sheet by Crouch's handball but, otherwise, was authoritative and commanding between the sticks. He made one particularly impressive save to deny Geoff Cameron's volley.

DF Rob Holding, 7 -- Now seems firmly established ahead of Gabriel Paulista in Wenger's pecking order. It's remarkable that Arsenal's youngest centre-half also often appears their calmest. Although he was beaten easily by Xherdan Shaqiri in the build-up to Crouch's goal, Holding will surely start for the remainder of the season.

DF Shkodran Mustafi, 7 -- It was a bit of a surprise to see him keep his place in the centre of the defence, with Laurent Koscielny being pushed into a left-sided role, but Mustafi's aggressive style is well-suited to a station in the middle. He looks much more comfortable in the new formation as compared to a 4-2-3-1.

DF Laurent Koscielny, 7 -- Per Mertesacker may be the official club captain, but it's Ksocielny who truly leads the Arsenal defence. In a new left-sided role, he was strong defensively as well as willing to carry the ball into midfield when required.

MF Hector Bellerin, 7 -- Wenger might have wondered how his new system would function without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at wing-back, but Bellerin showed that he has all the requisite attributes to thrive in the role. His run and cross for Giroud's first were perfectly timed and he was generally .sharp defensive, although his position in the build-up to Stoke's goal could have been better.

MF Francis Coquelin, 7 -- Playing in a more advanced role than normal, this was an impressive display. He has been somewhat maligned among fans of late, but looked surprisingly adept in a box-to-box role. His slide-rule pass to find Bellerin was a crucial moment in the build-up to Giroud's opener.

MF Granit Xhaka, 7 -- One of the major beneficiaries of Arsenal's change to 3-4-2-. It has alleviated some of his defensive responsibility and ensured he has plenty of targets for long passes. This was another impressive display from Xhaka, who is emerging as a key playmaker.

MF Nacho Monreal, 8 -- On the basis of this performance, it's difficult to see Kieran Gibbs forcing his way into Arsenal's FA Cup final team. Monreal is so much more effective going forward and was twice unlucky not to score at the Britannia Stadium.

FW Mesut Ozil, 8 -- The German was always available, always probing. Crucially, he also offered some end product, racing on to a stunning Sanchez pass to finish confidently beyond Jack Butland. That willingness to burst into the penalty area was something we saw regularly from Ozil at the beginning of the season, but which had disappeared of late. Perhaps his confidence is returning.

FW Alexis Sanchez, 8 -- The top scorer showed another side to his game with a beautifully weighted pass to find Ozil, before firing home the crucial third goal despite having suffered an injury. Alexis is the first player in the Premier League to reach double figures for both goals (21) and assists (10) this season. Arsenal fans will pray his knock is not serious.

FW Olivier Giroud, 8 -- Brought into the team after his scoring cameo against Southampton, Giroud justified his selection with a terrific poacher's brace. That's where he has the edge over Danny Welbeck: His movement inside the penalty area.

Substitutes

MF Aaron Ramsey, NR -- Caused problems with his forward runs and created Giroud's second goal.

FW Danny Welbeck, NR -- Did not have time to influence the game.

FW Theo Walcott, NR -- Tested the Stoke defence with his pace.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by JAMES MCNICHOLAS

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]