The Gunners will be hoping for an easier time against the Potters today
Stoke City are seen as a bogey team for Arsenal. The club’s traditionally physical, long-ball football style is the perfect antithesis of Arsenal’s free-flowing, pass-heavy game.
The clash of styles has always seemed to cause Arsenal problems, and despite new manager Mark Hughes’ move towards a more attractive style of football at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke fixtures remain feared events on Gooners’ calendars.
Here are some past meetings between the sides where the Potters have upset the North London club.
6 December 2014, Stoke City 3 – 2 Arsenal
Stoke’s style of play has gone through a drastic change under Hughes. Their over-reliance on utilising their players’ superior strength to grind out results was replaced with tactics that were far more pleasing to the eye.
On this occasion though, it was Arsenal’s defensive frailties that ultimately let them down. A poor game all round from the back four, including an abysmal performance from Calum Chambers, saw the Gunners go 3-0 down before half-time.
Despite a more offensively-minded tactical approach, it was old reliable tactics which won the match for the home side. All three Stoke goals came from crosses played into the box that Arsenal were unable to deal with. Peter Crouch’s first-minute opener encapsulated the problems in their defensive line which he will be looking to exploit again today.
Arsenal did try to fight back in the second half and almost got a result. Cazorla and Ramsey bagged a goal each to make the scoreline more respectable but the damage had already been done. A red card for Chambers in the 78th minute marked the end of the match as a contest.
1 March 2014, Stoke City 1 – 0 Arsenal
This was a drab affair in which both teams seemed reluctant to finish any opportunities. It took a late penalty from Walters to seal the win for the home side. While Stoke’s physical strength in the centre of the park certainly attributed to Arsenal’s poor performance, it was their lack of conviction in the final third that lost them the game.
Charlie Adams’ stamp on Olivier Giroud was the main talking point from the lacklustre encounter. The Scotsman received a three-game ban for the foul.
26 August 2012, Stoke City 0 – 0 Arsenal
Both teams were still finding their feet at the beginning of the 2012/13 Premier League season and this result left both teams with a meagre two points from their opening two league matches.
Arsenal newcomers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud were visibly struggling to adapt to the English game so a robust Stoke side notorious for utilising the art of the firm tackle and bullying their opponents off the ball was not ideal opposition for a transitional Arsenal team.
Santi Cazorla was impressive in his second league match for the Gunners but just could not seem to beat Asmir Begovic in the Stoke net. Check out the Bosnian shot-stopper denying the Spaniard with a fine save from the 1:14 minute mark below.
28 April 2012, Stoke City 1 – 1 Arsenal
A win for Arsenal would have eased the pressure heading into the last two fixtures of the season. The Gunners were trying to secure third place but faced stiff competition from Newcastle and arch rivals Tottenham who were all jostling for the Champions League places.
Surprise, surprise, Stoke took the lead after the Arsenal defenders failed to cope with a Matthew Etherington cross. Crouch received the ball in the box and coolly headed it into the back of the net. Tomas Rosicky salvaged a solitary point for the away side. However, Stoke’s endless testing of the defence with lofted balls made it an uncomfortable evening for Arsenal.
8 May 2011, Stoke City 3 – 1 Arsenal
Arsenal fans will remember this as the game that extinguished their hopes of winning the league. They were confident coming into this match off the back of a 1-0 win against league leaders Manchester United. However, this disappointing result derailed their title bid as they failed to win any of their remaining league games, going from vying for the title to finishing up fourth.
Towering striker Kenwyne Jones bundled in a Jermaine Pennant free-kick to open the scoring. Pennant doubled the lead while a late finish from Jon Walters restored the two-goal advantage after Robin Van Persie’s 81st-minute goal.
1 November 2008, Stoke City 2 – 1 Arsenal
Set-pieces proved to be the key factor to this game. Rory Delap’s famous cannon-like throw-ins provided the assists for both of Stoke’s goals. Ricardo Fuller and Seyi Olofinjan both scored headers from Delap specials that caused chaos in the Arsenal rearguard. An 11th-hour goal from Gael Clichy proved to be a mere consolation as Stoke City’s long-ball tactics won out again.
