Published: 12 September, 2015
by TOM FOOT at the Emirates Stadium

Premier League
ARSENAL 2, STOKE CITY 0

ARSENE Wenger said he would continue to rotate his two strikers after the pair bagged a goal each in the 2-0 win over Stoke at the Emirates.   

Theo Walcott showed classy control before his calm first-half finish while Olivier Giroud nodded home from close range after replacing him as a substitute late on in the second.   

Both had spurned several chances between them but Wenger said he was pleased overall with the team's “very strong performance”.

He said: “We play every three days for three weeks, so we have to rotate the strikers. You cannot play upfront the same players especially.

"I chose Walcott today to use his movement. We knew Stoke would be compact, organised in their own half. He scored a great goal, if I might say, of great technical quality. It was good that Giroud scored as well. I believe Walcott can be a prolific goalscorer. Think how many chances he has and if he has the confidence to score them.” 

Wenger persisted with playing Aaron Ramsey down the right side, with the yappy Alexis Sanchez scurrying around on the left and Mesut Ozil in behind Walcott as a lone striker. The front quartet stunned Stoke with a devastating series of attacks in the first 15 minutes that saw three sprawling saves from Jack Butland and Sanchez hit the post twice.

Cazorla and Francis Coquelin were Arsenal’s two central holding midfielders who set the moves in motion. On 35 minutes, a chunky, lunging tackle from Coquelin stabbed the ball to Ozil 10 yards inside the Arsenal half. He launched it forward for Walcott who cushioned the ball perfectly as it dropped over his shoulder, before placing it beneath Butland.

Captain Cazorla’s artful distribution was the most constant feature of Arsenal’s performance over the 90 minutes. He set up a hatful of chances and the defeat could have been much heavier had it not been for Butland between the sticks. His opposite number, Petr Cech, had little to do but had to be alert to keep out the stocky Xherdan Shaqiri who should have equalised after the hour mark.

Giroud, on for Walcott, used his first touch to shank a shot horribly wide from just six yards with the keeper stranded. But his second was a fine header at the near post from an in-swinging Cazorla free-kick.

The Gunners boss also praised the “very strong” defensive triangle of Gabriel, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin after a third consecutive Premier League clean sheet, adding: “It was a very strong performance, technically. We played as we want to play.”

Arsenal play Croatia’s Dynamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday and Premier League stragglers Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

ARSENAL: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Özil (Chamberlain 84), Sánchez (Arteta, 84), Walcott (Giroud, 75).
Sub not used: Gibbs, Debuchy, Ospina, Campbell.
Attendance: 59,963