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Olivier Giroud brace boosts Arsenal’s Champions League ambitions




Arsenal turned up the heat on Liverpool in the race for Champions League football as an Olivier Giroud brace helped them to a 4-1 win at Stoke.
At a ground where they had only won once on eight previous Premier League visits, the Gunners grabbed the lead three minutes prior to the break through Giroud’s close-range strike, with Mesut Ozil then extending their advantage in the 55th minute with a neat finish.
Stoke hit back with a controversial 67th-minute goal from substitute Peter Crouch, before efforts from Alexis Sanchez in the 76th minute and Giroud 10 minutes from time wrapped up a victory that sees the gap between Arsene Wenger’s fifth-placed men and fourth-placed Liverpool reduced to a point.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes: “Them scoring just before half-time was obviously a blow to us and then, conceding the second goal, it is difficult from that point onwards. We were okay and had a good shape in the first half but in terms of what we wanted to do in attack, that didn’t really happen for us. We had good moments when we had numbers to break and it just kept on breaking down – and we’re better than that.”
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: “I am paid to do my job for a club I love. I will do that as long as I am here, with full commitment. All I can do is give my best. We have 69 points – let’s make it 72 on Tuesday (when Arsenal host Sunderland) and after that I will give my best as long as I am here for the values of this club. I want to focus on football and all the rest is, for me, less important.”

Tweet of the match

Star man – Alexis Sanchez

The Chilean delivered yet another excellent display, not only scoring with a deflected strike but also producing a wonderful assist for Ozil, who also had a fine game. Sanchez subsequently came off, apparently with an injury that Arsenal will certainly hope is only minor.

Data point

Sanchez’s goal was his 50th in the Premier League, his 21st of the season and his 15th away from home.

More anti-Wenger protests

A plane flies over Stoke's ground with a banner displaying the message 'WENGER – OUT MEANS OUT!!'
(Nick Potts/PA)
This game saw yet more calls for Arsenal’s manager to leave. A plane flew over the ground early on with a banner displaying the message ‘WENGER – OUT MEANS OUT!!’ There was also a sign that said ‘WENGER OUT’ held up in the away section pre-match – perhaps unsurprisingly, there was little evidence of it thereafter.

Player ratings

Stoke: Jack Butland 6, Glen Johnson 5, Ryan Shawcross 5, Bruno Martins Indi 6, Erik Pieters 5, Geoff Cameron 5, Glenn Whelan 5, Xherdan Shaqiri 5, Joe Allen 5, Marko Arnautovic 6, Mame Diouf 5. strong>Substitutes: Peter Crouch (for Allen, 60) 6, Saido Berahino (for Diouf, 61) 5, Ramadan Sobhi (for Arnautovic, 81) 5.
Arsenal: Petr Cech 6, Shkodran Mustafi 6, Laurent Koscielny 6, Rob Holding 6, Hector Bellerin 7, Granit Xhaka 6, Francis Coquelin 7, Nacho Monreal 7, Mesut Ozil 7, Alexis Sanchez 8, Olivier Giroud 7. Substitutes: Aaron Ramsey (for Sanchez, 77) 7, Danny Welbeck (for Ozil, 83) 6, Theo Walcott (for Giroud, 84) 6.

Who’s up next?

Stoke boss Mark Hughes, left, and Southampton manager Claude Puel shake hands
(Clint Hughes/PA)
Southampton v Stoke (Premier League, May 21)
Arsenal v Sunderland (Premier League, May 16)

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