Good save by Ospina! Ireland picks up the ball on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area and fires a low shot towards the bottom right hand corner of the goal, but the Colombian goalkeeper gets down well to deny the substitute with a strong diving save.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
88'
Stoke do well to take advantage of the space down the left wing, with Muniesa then curling a lovely cross into the penalty area. It meets Crouch near the penalty spot but his first touch is poor and allows Monreal to clear the danger.
86'
What a chance for Ozil! Cazorla threads an absolutely beautiful ball through the middle of the Stoke defence and into the path of the German, but he ends up sending his rocket of a shot just wide of the near post.
84'
Lovely build-up play by Arsenal, especially from Ozil and Cazorla, sets up Monreal on the left flank, but the defender's low cross is unable to find a red and white shirt and is cut out at the near post by Shawcross.
82'
Stoke patiently work their way down the right flank before Cameron tries to curl a cross towards the far post but, again, the American's attempted lofted pass is poor and sails harmlessly out of play for a goal kick.
80'
What a miss by Walcott! Arsenal break away quickly, with just two blue shirts camped inside the Stoke half of the pitch. Sanchez darts forward before teeing up the substitute, who is completely unmarked, but he ends up scuffing his shot well wide of the far post from the edge of the penalty area.
78'
Cameron scores, but it's ruled out for offside! Ireland chips a lovely ball into the path of Crouch, who then heads the cross on to the American. He beats Ospina with a deft volley near the penalty spot before tapping the ball into the back of the net, but the linesman's flag is up, much to his, and the Stoke fans', annoyance.
76'
Whelan loses possession in a dangerous position midway inside the Stoke half of the pitch, and Sanchez decides to shoot after seeing Begovic off his line. However, his audacious attempt ends up flying just over the top of the crossbar and behind for a goal kick. What a way to wrap up his hat-trick that would have been!
75'
Arsenal are bossing possession in the middle of the pitch, but, understandably, they are in no rush to push forward as they look to hold on to their three-goal lead for the final quarter-of-an-hour of the game.
Minute
Description
73'
S. Ireland enters the game and replaces Bojan Krkić.
M. Özil enters the game and replaces O. Giroud.
Stoke have made their final substitution of the afternoon, with Ireland coming on to take the place of Bojan.
And now Arsenal have made their final change of the game, too, with Ozil replacing Giroud to make his first appearance for the club in three months after a lengthy period out due to injury.
72'
Muniesa picks up the ball on the left flank after a lovely flick from Bojan, but his rushed cross is comfortably dealt with by the Arsenal defence, allowing the hosts to regain possession in the middle of the pitch.
70'
Bojan and Whelan do incredibly well to keep Stoke's hopes alive with great play on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, but a promising attack is then brought to a disappointing end by Cameron, who chips the ball over the top of everybody inside the box and into the grateful hands of Ospina.
68'
T. Walcott enters the game and replaces A. Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Arsenal have made their first change of the second half, with Oxlade-Chamberlain making way for Walcott, who receives a standing ovation from the home fans as he jogs onto the pitch.
67'
Cazorla hits the woodwork! Stoke are unable to fully clear the danger from the resulting corner, allowing Arsenal to push forward on a well-worked attacking move. The aforementioned Spaniard plays a wonderful one-two with Oxlade-Chamberlain on the edge of the penalty area before sprinting into the right hand side of the box and chipping the ball over Begovic and onto the top of the crossbar.
65'
Brilliant run from Sanchez! The Chilean picks up the ball near the halfway line and darts deep into the Stoke half of the pitch, beating three players in the process. He then sends the ball out to the left wing where it finds Giroud, but the Frenchman's attempted pass back to his teammate is deflected out for a corner.
63'
P. Crouch gets yellow.
Crouch flies into the back of Coquelin, bringing the Frenchman down with a clumsy challenge, which results in a yellow card for the Stoke striker.
62'
Great chance for Stoke! A poor pass from Mertesacker puts Oxlade-Chamberlain under pressure, and the visitors are able to break away down the left flank through Muniesa as a result. The defender then sends a great low cross into the heart of the six-yard box that finds Crouch, but he's only able to send his poked shot just wide of the near post.
61'
G. Cameron gets yellow.
Arsenal break away quickly through Sanchez, who is then pulled from behind clumsily by Cameron. The referee waves play on but then shows a yellow card to the American after the attack breaks down.
60'
Stoke are enjoying a good spell of possession in the middle of the pitch at the moment, but they're finding it incredibly difficult to find a way past the sea of red and white shirts camped in front of them.
58'
Arnautovic tries to test Ospina with a curling shot towards the top left hand corner of the goal but his strike ends up flying a few yards wide of the far post.
57'
Whelan spins past Koscielny before being brought down by the Frenchman, resulting in a free kick for Stoke 30 yards out.
55'
Arsenal patiently work their way towards the Stoke penalty area before a misplaced back-heel from Sanchez ends up gifting possession back to the visitors, who are finding it increasingly difficult to keep hold of the ball whenever they have it.
53'
Oxlade-Chamberlain does well again to dart past the Stoke defence before setting up Sanchez on the left hand side of the penalty area, but the Chilean is only able to find the grateful hands of Begovic with his attempted low cross.
51'
P. Wollscheid gets yellow.
Wollscheid pulls Giroud's shirt near the halfway line, denying the Frenchman the opportunity to break away quickly and earning himself his first ever yellow card in the Premier League.
49'
A. Sánchez has scored a goal for Arsenal!
Great play again by Oxlade-Chamberlain, who cuts inside from the left wing before drawing Sidwell into fouling him from behind just a yard or so outside of the penalty area.
GOAL! It's 3-0 and it's Sanchez again! The Chilean fires a low shot from the resulting set-piece that takes a slight deflection off the disjointed Stoke wall and squirms past Begovic at the near post.
48'
Bellerin breaks away down the right flank after great play from Oxlade-Chamberlain. The young defender then tries to chip a deft ball onto the head of Giroud, but Shawcross is there to nod it out of play for a corner, which Whelan deals with well at the near post.
46'
S. Sidwell enters the game and replaces S. Nzonzi.
Muniesa enters the game and replaces E. Pieters.
Stoke have decided to make a double change for the second half. The first player to come on is Muniesa, who takes the place of Pieters.
And the second is Sidwell, who replaces N'Zonzi.
And we're underway once again!
45' +4
Great play again from Sanchez, who cuts inside from the left before teeing up Oxlade-Chamberlain with a well-weighted pass. The Englishman then fires a first-time shot from 25 yards out that sails just a few yards over the top of the crossbar.
45' +3
Another chance for Crouch! This time, Arnautovic curls a great cross into the box from the left flank that finds the head of the Stoke striker, but he's unable to test Ospina with his effort on goal.
45' +2
Now it's Stoke's turn to break away quickly, with Crouch muscling his way past Monreal and towards the edge of the penalty area. However, he's completely alone in the Arsenal half of the pitch, forcing him to fire a half-hearted low shot that Ospina collects with ease.
45' +1
A poor clearance from Shawcross gifts possession back to Arsenal, who immediately push forward. Sanchez then picks up the ball on the left wing and tries to send a cross into the penalty area, but it's poorly hit and fails to find a red and white shirt.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be five minutes of added time.
44'
Oxlade-Chamberlain uses his pace to great effect, skipping past two Stoke players on the right flank before cutting inside and sending a through-ball towards Giroud, but it's slightly overhit and Shawcross is able to shepherd the attempted pass out of play for a goal kick.
43'
What a cross by Cameron! The right-back darts forward and sends a brilliant curling ball into the heart of the Arsenal box that only just misses the outstretched foot of Walters by a few agonising inches. If the Irishman was able to make any sort of contact with the ball, there's no doubt that it would have flown into the back of the net.
42'
Play resumes and Oxlade-Chamberlain is almost able to take advantage of a sleeping Stoke defence, but Wollscheid dispossesses the Arsenal midfielder with a brilliant interception just outside of the penalty area.
40'
It looks as if Monreal is going to be able to continue after having the wound seen to and patched up by the Arsenal medical staff.
39'
Monreal is still on the floor receiving medical attention, leaving Arsene Wenger looking extremely nervous on the touch-line. With injuries already plaguing his side, another would be a huge problem.
37'
Crouch and Monreal clash whilst battling for the ball in the air, leaving the Spaniard holding his face and in some discomfort after receiving a blow on the nose from the big striker.
35'
After a period of Stoke possession, Arsenal win the ball back and try to break away on a quick counter attack, but Rosicky's attempted pass forward is poor and is only able to find Cameron.
33'
A. Sánchez has scored a goal for Arsenal! Assist by T. Rosický.
GOAL! What a brilliant strike from Sanchez! The Chilean takes advantage of poor play from N'Zonzi before playing a lovely one-two with Rosicky on the left wing. He then skips into the penalty area before beating both Shawcross and Begovic with a great low strike into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
32'
It's all Arsenal at the moment, as they bombard the Stoke penalty area with a plethora of crosses, but the visitors' defence are doing well to deal with the constant danger.
30'
The Stoke defence deal with the resulting corner well, with Crouch using his height to great effect, before a lofted cross into the heart of the penalty area results in a clash between Begovic and Debuchy. However, Arsenal are unable to make it count and the visitors regroup once again to keep them at bay.
29'
Bellerin and Chamberlain link up well on the right flank, with the latter darting past Pieters before chipping a deft cross into the box. However, Wollscheid is there to clear the ball out for a corner before it's able to meet the head of Giroud.
27'
What a waste by Whelan! Bojan cuts the resulting set-piece back to the Irishman, who is completely unmarked on the edge of the penalty area, but he fires his attempted shot on goal well over the top of the crossbar and into the crowd behind.
26'
Nervy moments at the back for Arsenal! Again, Bojan causes problems for the hosts' defence with his skill and pace, and this time he's brought down clumsily by Monreal just outside of the penalty area on the right wing, resulting in another free kick for Stoke in a very dangerous position.
24'
Bojan finds himself in space again and sprints forward into the Arsenal half of the pitch before being brought to the ground by Giroud. The resulting free kick is fired towards Shawcross on the left hand side of the penalty area, but the defender is unable to find a teammate with his attempted cross and Rosicky is able to clear the ball away from danger.
22'
Another chance for Giroud! The Frenchman comfortably breaks through the disjointed Stoke defence before unleashing a fierce strike from the left hand corner of the box, but, unlike a few moments ago, it fails to test Begovic and instead flies a few yards wide of the post.
21'
What a save by Begovic! Sanchez sends a brilliant low pass across to Giroud, who then unleashes a rocket of a shot from the edge of the penalty area that the Stoke goalkeeper palms around the post with a great diving stop.
20'
Arsenal win themselves a corner, which is whipped in from the right wing but fails to beat the first Stoke defender at the near post. The hosts win the ball back quickly, however, with Cazorla breaking away down the right flank, but he's unable to find a fellow red and white shirt and the visitors are just about able to deal with the danger.
18'
After receiving medical attention for almost six minutes, Debuchy is finally stretchered down the tunnel whilst he holds his right shoulder, which looks as if it might have been dislocated in the clash with Arnautovic.
17'
Wonderful shot from Oxlade-Chamberlain! He shows great skill to skip past Pieters with ease before firing a low shot from just inside the penalty area that flies a few inches wide of the far post.
15'
Shawcross launches a long ball forward that finds Walters on the right wing, and the midfielder then nods it into the path of Crouch. The striker turns and tees up Cameron, but the right-back's attempted pass is wayward and ends up rolling harmlessly out for a throw-in midway inside the Arsenal half of the pitch.
13'
Héctor Bellerín enters the game and replaces M. Debuchy.
Bellerin has come on to take the place of Debuchy, who is still on the ground receiving attention from the Arsenal medical staff.
12'
Debuchy seems to have picked up a nasty looking injury after clashing with Arnautovic near the byline as they both battled to get on the end of Walters' cross, leaving the Frenchman in serious discomfort behind the goal.
10'
Bojan finds himself in acres of space in the middle of the pitch, allowing him to dart forward before sending the ball out to Walters on the right flank, but the Irishman's cross is poor and sails out of play for an Arsenal goal kick.
8'
Arsenal regain possesion quickly and push forward again down the right wing, but Arnautovic does well to keep Debuchy at bay before the Frenchman is flagged for offside.
6'
L. Koscielny has scored a goal for Arsenal! Assist by A. Sánchez.
GOAL! Arsenal have taken an early lead! Stoke fail to deal with the resulting set-piece, allowing Sanchez to receive the ball once again and send a brilliant cross into the box that Koscielny, who is completely unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, is easily able to nod into the back of the net.
5'
Another fantastic save from Begovic! Rosicky sprints past N'Zonzi with ease before firing the ball towards the bottom left hand corner of the goal, but the Stoke goalkeeper does incredibly well to tip the effort around the post and out for a corner.
4'
N'Zonzi breaks away down the left flank before cutting inside to the penalty area and cutting the ball back to Crouch, who is camped inside the six-yard box, but the Frenchman ends up accidentally running the ball out of play before releasing it, bringing a promising attack to a disappointing end.
3'
Great start from Arsenal! They attack down the left flank through Monreal before the defender tees up Sanchez just inside the penalty area, and the Chilean then forces Begovic into pulling off a strong diving save with a low curling shot from the left hand corner of the box.
1'
And we're off! Arsenal get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today's Premier League game between Arsenal and Stoke City. My name is Ben Cullimore and I will be keeping you up to date with all of the action from the Emirates Stadium.
After embarking on a four-game unbeaten run, their longest since the end of September, in which they won three of their four Premier League clashes, Arsenal were sent crashing back down to earth by a revitalised Southampton side on New Year's Day, losing 2-0 to the Saints in a disappointing game for Arsene Wenger's men. As a result, they head into this afternoon's clash in sixth place in the table, three points behind Southampton, who are in action against Manchester United later today, and, crucially, one point behind Tottenham Hotspur. Their North London rivals' 2-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace yesterday evening means that either a win or a draw will move the Gunners above Spurs and into fifth place, but they will be well aware that a victory is vital if they are to keep the pressure firmly on Southampton and a Champions League qualification spot.
As for Stoke, they come into today's game in 11th place, seven points behind Arsenal and just one point behind Newcastle United after the latter side's defeat against league leaders Chelsea yesterday. It has been a good few weeks for the Potters, who are unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions, with their last defeat, their only one since the start of December, coming against Chelsea in the final game before Christmas. As a result, they are knocking on the door of the top half of the table, and a victory this afternoon will not only move them above Newcastle and into 10th place but will send them to within one point of ninth-place Swansea City ahead of back-to-back games against struggling Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers.
There's just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let's have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon...
Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Ospina; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Rosicky, Coquelin, Cazorla; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Sanchez.
Arsenal substitutes: Szczesny, Bellerin, Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil, Walcott, Campbell.
Stoke City XI (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; N'Zonzi, Whelan; Walters, Bojan, Arnautovic; Crouch.
Stoke City substitutes: Butland, Wilson, Muniesa, Sidwell, Ireland, Adam, Moses.
Arsene Wenger has made made two changes to the Arsenal side that started the 2-0 defeat against Southampton on New Year's Day, with the biggest talking point being the inclusion of David Ospina, who takes the place of Wojciech Szczesny in between the sticks to make his first Premier League appearance for the club. Meanwhile, Nacho Monreal and Olivier Giroud come into the side to replace Kieran Gibbs and Calum Chambers, respectively, whilst Mesut Ozil makes an appearance on the substitutes' bench after being out of action since the start of October.
As for Stoke, boss Mark Hughes has also made two changes to the side that drew 1-1 against Manchester United in their last Premier League outing, with Mame Biram Diouf and Marc Muniesa making way for Bojan Krkic and Philipp Wollscheid, the latter of whom is making his first appearance for the Potters since moving to the club on loan from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 2-0 STOKE CITY
It's been a wonderful opening 45 minutes for Arsenal, who look in complete control as they head down the tunnel for the half-time break. They have looked full of energy and ideas when pushing forward, particularly through Sanchez and Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Stoke defence finding it incredibly difficult to deal with the pacy wingers. Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Crouch has found it difficult to make his height count, with the Gunners' defence holding firm to keep the big striker at bay.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 3-0 STOKE CITY
Arsenal come away with a well-earned victory after a splendid performance in which they never looked in any danger of dropping points, let alone losing. From start to finish, they bossed possession in the Stoke half of the pitch, causing the visitors' defence a plethora of problems all afternoon, whilst at the other end Ospina was left relatively untested in between the sticks.
The win moves them above Tottenham and up to fifth place, two points ahead of their North London rivals and equal on points with fourth-place Southampton, who are in action against Manchester United in half-an-hour's time. Meanwhile, Stoke stay in 11th, one point behind Newcastle ahead of their clash away to struggling Leicester City next weekend.
My name is Ben Cullimore and it's been an absolute pleasure describing all of the action to you today. Until next time, goodbye!
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