Match summary
The first half was devoid of chances with Arsenal managing just one shot on target through Aaron Ramsey, which clipped the crossbar.
After the break, the play in the final third was more incisive and Stoke's Xherdan Shaqiri hit the far post from a corner kick.
However, the Gunners took the lead as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored from the spot when Mesut Ozil was brought down in the box.
The Gabon star scored his second in the final five minutes before Alexandre Lacazette added a late third also from the spot.
Match report
The opening 20 minutes was devoid of virtually any goal-mouth action as Stoke's high press seemed to disrupt Arsenal's labored attempts to pass the ball out from the back.
In fact, it took until the 22nd minute before a chance arrived for the Gunners through attacking midfielder Ramsey.
Following a better build-up which saw the ball played into the area, goalkeeper Jack Butland fluffed his punch and the ball dropped to the Wales forward on the right-hand side.
The 27-year-old then sent a chip on target which bounced off the crossbar and away from danger for a goal-kick. It was a lethargic opening 45 minutes though Ramsey again looked threatening not long afterwards.
When Jack Wilshere evaded a challenge and slipped the ball to his teammate, the Welshman saw his shot clip off a defender and out for a corner, which the Potters then dealt with easily.
City were barely in the contest as an attacking force and in the 30th minute were thankful to Shkodran Mustafi, who made a well-time tackle on Ramadan Sobhi after Hector Bellerin gifted possession away just outside his own box.
Incredibly, little else happened in the first stanza and it went in at the break 0-0 much to the disappointment of some booing fans at the Emirates.
After the break, the dour nature of the contest continued and it took until just before the hour mark for the first real chance to arrive for Arsene Wenger's men.
When Ozil chipped the ball into Danny Welbeck inside the left-hand area of the box, the striker fired just wide of the near post. Soon after Nacho Monreal forced Butland into a diving save to his bottom-left, as the home team proved slightly more incisive.
In the 70th minute City nearly found a bizarre opener as Shaqiri's corner kick caught out David Ospina in goal, before the cross hit the far post and was scrambled clear by Arsenal's defence.
A minute later Aubameyang was sent through on goal but was denied by a good block by Butland, as the action started to heat up.
Eventually the deadlock was broken in the 75th minute as Aubameyang profited from the penalty spot after Ozil was brought down by defender Bruno Martins Indi although he did get a touch on the ball.
The Gabon star stepped up and confidently sent a strike into the bottom-right corner. In the closing stages Stoke fell to pieces defensively and Aubameyang showed his predatory instincts to fire home at the far post from a corner in the 86th minute.
Three minutes later Lacazette got his name on the score-sheet when Badou Ndiaye hauled down the striker, and he stepped up to convert the Londoner's third.
0 Comments