Great chance for Giroud! Bellerin gets himself into a great position deep down the right flank before teeing up Giroud, but the striker's attempted header ends up deflecting off his shoulder and out for a goal-kick.
90' +2
Walcott jogs down the right flank before trying to pick out Giroud with a lofted pass into the Stoke penalty area, but it's slightly overhit by the Englishman and misses the Frenchman before finding the hands of Grant.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
89'
It's Allen who takes the corner and rifles it towards the near post, but it isn't hit well by the midfielder and is easily thumped out for a throw-in before it can find a blue shirt in front of goal.
88'
Xhaka commits a clumsy foul in the middle of the pitch and gives away a free-kick over on the right wing. Arnautovic steps up and curls a dangerous cross into the heart of the penalty area, but Gabriel is there to nod it out for a corner.
86'
J. Ngoy enters the game and replaces X. Shaqiri.
Julien Ngoy comes on to replace Shaqiri in Stoke's final substitution.
85'
Shaqiri picks up the ball in a pocket of space over on the right wing before lifting a dangerous cross towards the far post. It does well to pick out Crouch, but, despite his best efforts, the striker is unable to control the ball.
84'
Stoke are patiently passing the ball around deep inside the Arsenal half of the pitch as they try to find a way back into the game, but the hosts have plenty of bodies back and are easily able to deal with the danger.
82'
Wonderful play by Walcott! The Englishman weaves his way through the middle of the pitch and beats three Stoke players before shooting from just inside the penalty area, but Grant does really well to push it away with a strong one-handed save.
81'
Ramadan Sobhi enters the game and replaces C. Adam.
Stoke have made their second change of the game, with Adam making way for Ramadan Sobhi.
Minute
Description
80'
Bellerin gets himself into a good position deep down the right wing before firing a cross into the middle of the penalty area. Giroud initially misses out but does well to win his side a corner, which, unsurprisingly, Arsenal take their time with before playing it short.
78'
O. Giroud enters the game and replaces A. Sánchez.
The Arsenal fans serenade Sanchez as he's replaced by Olivier Giroud for the final 12 minutes of the game.
77'
Stoke quickly try to push forward from the restart as they attempt to find a way back into the game, but Iwobi immediately wins the ball back for the home side and receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he does.
75'
A. Iwobi has scored a goal for Arsenal! Assist by A. Sánchez.
Sanchez hasn't been able to get on to the scoresheet today but he's still been one of Arsenal's most impressive players, as was evident in the build-up to that goal.
GOAL! It's 3-1! Sanchez twists and turns over on the left wing before being fouled by Martins Indi just outside of the penalty area. Iwobi quickly picks up the ball, however, and the referee allows play to go on, giving the youngster the chance to beat Grant with a wonderful, side-footed strike.
73'
Crouch almost makes an immediate impact! The striker rises high and above two defenders before nodding a downwards header towards the bottom left-hand corner of the net, but Cech gets down well to save the substitutes' effort.
72'
P. Crouch enters the game and replaces M. Diouf.
Diouf makes way for Peter Crouch in Stoke's first change of the afternoon.
71'
Arnautovic gets down the right wing once again before trying to tee up Allen with a clever pass back to the edge of the penalty area, but Xhaka darts in front of the Welshman and out-muscles him just as he's about to unleash a shot.
70'
Arsenal have made their second alteration of the game, with Oxlade-Chamberlain making way for Alex Iwobi.
69'
A. Iwobi enters the game and replaces A. Oxlade-Chamberlain.
What a chance for Diouf! Adam breaks down the left wing and swings a lovely cross into the heart of the Arsenal box, where it finds Diouf, but, somehow, the Senegalese forward ends up sending his free header nearer to the corner flag than the goal.
68'
Stoke move the ball around nicely deep inside the Arsenal half of the pitch before Arnautovic cuts inside from the left wing and shoots, but his rocket of a strike from 25 yards out ends up flying safely over the top of the crossbar.
66'
Adam sends a wonderful lofted pass over the top of the Arsenal back line and towards Diouf, who darts into the box and does well to win his side a corner. Shaqiri steps up and curls it towards Martins Indi, but Xhaka is there to clear the danger with a strong header.
64'
Almost a great chance for Sanchez! A lovely move by Arsenal ends with Sanchez, who is set up by a great poked pass from Ozil, but just as the Chilean shoots, Muniesa darts across the penalty area to deflect the ball into the hands of Grant.
62'
Arsenal win themselves a corner over on the right wing that's played short to Oxlade-Chamberlain. He cuts inside quickly and skips past Shaqiri before firing a low cross towards the near post, but Pieters is there to clear the danger.
60'
Sanchez twists and turns on the right-hand side of the Stoke penalty area before chipping a cross into the heart of the box, but Adam dives in front of the ball to stop it from finding a red and white shirt in front of goal.
58'
Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has looked bright since the break, out-muscles Muniesa and cuts on to his right foot before shooting from just outside of the penalty area, but Grant gets down well to stop the effort from finding the back of the net.
57'
Xhaka goes close! The Swiss midfielder gets himself into a good position in the middle of the pitch and decides to try and test Grant from 25 yards out, but his thumping strike ends up bouncing just wide of the goal.
56'
Allen picks up the ball in a pocket of space in the heart of the pitch before teeing up Diouf with a wonderful pass into the right-hand side of the Arsenal penalty area, but as soon as the Senegalese forward's low shot is saved by Cech, the linesman's flag is raised for offside.
55'
Oxlade-Chamberlain puts Martins Indi under good pressure deep down the left wing and wins Arsenal a throw-in near to the corner flag. It's sent short before the hosts try to break into the penalty area, but the visitors do well to keep them at bay before breaking forward on an attack of their own.
53'
Oxlade-Chamberlain goes close! Walcott cuts inside from the right wing and sends a lovely cross into the heart of the Stoke box, but Oxlade-Chamberlain's glancing header fails to hit the target and bounces wide of the far post.
51'
The game gets underway once again and Allen quickly tries to beat Cech, who is off his line, from 40 yards out, but the midfielder's effort fails to beat the goalkeeper and, unsurprisingly, it's easily saved by the goalkeeper.
49'
M. Özil has scored a goal for Arsenal! Assist by A. Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Oxlade-Chamberlain picked out Ozil perfectly, but the Stoke defence were all over the place, with Muniesa failing to track the goalscorer and Imbula playing him onside.
GOAL! Arsenal are in front! Oxlade-Chamberlain picks up the ball in the middle of the pitch and immediately fires a beautiful lofted cross into the heart of the penalty area. It finds Ozil all alone in front of goal, and the German does wonderfully well to beat Grant with a looping header.
48'
Shaqiri cuts inside from the right flank and quickly floats a lovely cross towards the far post. Pieters rises high to try and meet the ball on the edge of the six-yard box, but Bellerin is there to put him off and send the ball wide of the goal.
47'
Early chance for Bellerin! The Spaniard receives the ball on the edge of the Stoke penalty area and decides to shoot instead of teeing up Sanchez, but his thumping strike fails to test Grant and ends up sailing comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45' +3
Shaqiri, who has had few chances to push forward since the first few minutes of the game, gets himself into a good position 30 yards away from goal and decides to shoot, but it's easily saved by Cech before it can sneak into the back of the net.
45' +2
Another great chance for Oxlade-Chamberlain! Bellerin, who has been causing plenty of problems since replacing Mustafi, fires a low cross into the middle of the visitors' penalty area that finds Oxlade-Chamberlain, but his first-time shot is slightly overhit and loops just over the top of the crossbar.
45' +1
Coquelin cuts inside from the left wing and darts into the middle of the pitch before trying to pick out Walcott deep down the right flank, but his pass is slightly overhit and, despite his best efforts, the goalscorer is unable to stop the ball from bouncing out for a goal-kick.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
44'
Sanchez almost makes it 2-1! The Chilean, who has looked dangerous this afternoon, twists and turns just outside of the Stoke box before unleashing a wonderful strike, but it ends up flying just a yard or so over the top of the crossbar after beating Grant.
42'
T. Walcott has scored a goal for Arsenal! Assist by Héctor Bellerín.
Bellerin versus Pieters has been an intriguing battle since the Spaniard came on, and he's arguably winning so far. The Dutchman left him all alone in the build-up to the goal and afforded him far too much time to cross.
GOAL! Arsenal have equalised! Sanchez spins on the edge of the Stoke penalty area and picks out Bellerin with a lovely pass over to his right. The full-back is in a pocket of space and immediately fires a low cross in towards Walcott, who then beats Grant with a great first-time finish.
40'
Excellent tackle by Monreal! Allen weaves his way into the left-hand side of the Arsenal box on a wonderful run before teeing up Arnautovic, who is in a great position in front of goal, but just as he's about to shoot, Monreal flies in to dispossess him with a great piece of defending.
38'
Arsenal started the game well and found themselves on the front foot, but they've struggled since going behind and are failing to cause many problems for the visitors. As a result, the crowd are starting to grow restless as half-time approaches.
36'
The resulting corner fails to result in a chance on goal, but Xhaka is able to pick up the ball on the edge of the box. He cuts past his marker and heads towards the byline before chipping a cross towards Sanchez, but it's poorly hit and sails out for a throw-in.
35'
Vital interception by Diouf! Bellerin skips past Pieters on the right-hand side of the Stoke penalty area before firing a low cross-cum-shot towards the far post, but Diouf dives in front of the ball to stop it from finding Ozil in a great position.
33'
Walcott breaks down the right wing and spins before teeing up Ozil, but the German is unable to fire a cross into the box. The ball bounces back to him, however, and he then quickly sets up Bellerin, but the full-back's cross is just as poor and sails harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick.
31'
Arsenal push plenty of bodies forward from the restart as they desperately try to quickly get back into the game, but Stoke have enough bodies back to deal with the pressure being put on them deep down the right flank.
29'
Penalty goal scored by C. Adam for Stoke City!
GOAL! Charlie Adam, who had to wait for quite a while whilst Allen received medical treatment, steps up and calmly beats Cech with a brilliant strike that buries into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
28'
PENALTY! Allen breaks into the right-hand side of the Arsenal penalty area before taking on Xhaka, who catches the Welshman in the face with a swinging elbow and gives away a needless penalty. Arsene Wenger is absolutely furious!
26'
Lovely play by Arsenal! Mesut Ozil and Sanchez link up wonderfully on the edge of the Stoke penalty area before the German penetrates the box and shoots, but as soon as he does so, the linesman's flag is rightly raised for offside.
25'
Héctor Bellerín enters the game and replaces S. Mustafi.
Mustafi limps off the pitch to be replaced by Bellerin, who receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he comes on.
24'
Mustafi is really struggling with what looks to be a hamstring injury, and it looks as if his game is over already. Hector Bellerin, who has been out for the past month, is currently warming up on the touchline.
23'
What an opportunity for Joe Allen! A wonderful lofted pass flies into the left-hand side of the Arsenal penalty area and finds Arnautovic. He brings the ball down beautifully before spinning and finding Allen, but he ends up firing his first-time strike a few yards wide of the far post. He really should have buried that!
22'
Imbula is caught sleeping on the ball just outside of the Stoke penalty area, allowing Sanchez to steal the ball from under his nose. The Chilean then tries to skip into the box, but the Stoke midfielder does well to atone for his error with a tackle at the vital moment.
21'
Vital interception by Pieters! After dealing with the danger, Arsenal try to hit Stoke on a blisteringly quick counter-attack that ends with Gabriel over on the right wing, but the defender is unable to skip past Pieters and loses out to a wonderful tackle from the Dutchman.
20'
Shaqiri and Mame Biram Diouf link up well deep down the right wing before the latter fires a low cross into the Arsenal penalty area and towards Arnautovic, but Koscielny is easily able to stick out a foot to stop the ball from finding the Austrian.
18'
It's been a good start to the game from both sides, but Arsenal currently find themselves on the front foot as they continue to push forward. They're doing well to put Stoke's back line under plenty of pressure, with Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain looking particularly dangerous.
16'
There's a brief moment of concern for Nacho Monreal after he goes down off the ball, but he makes a quick recovery and is able to continue. Arsenal push forward once again on a patient attacking move before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tries to cut inside from the right wing, but he's out-muscled by Erik Pieters and is unable to beat the left-back.
14'
This time the corner is sent short and worked over to Xhaka, who then fires a dangerous cross into the Stoke penalty area. It almost finds Koscielny, who is unmarked at the far post, but the ball ends up flying just over the head of the Frenchman.
13'
The corner fails to result in a chance on goal for Arsenal, but they quickly push forward once again before Walcott wins a free-kick on the right wing. Ozil steps up and curls a lovely cross over to the far post, but Granit Xhaka's header deflects off Johnson and out for another corner.
11'
Great play by the hosts! Arsenal patiently pass the ball around before Shkodran Mustafi charges into the Stoke half of the pitch and tees up Theo Walcott with a lovely through-ball. The forward flies into the box before unleashing a great low strike, but Grant is there to save the effort before Glen Johnson thumps the ball out for a corner.
9'
Nervy moments for Lee Grant! A pass is played back to the Stoke goalkeeper, who takes his time with his clearance. Sanchez flies towards the shot-stopper and makes sure he puts him under plenty of pressure, giving Grant a few things to think about before his clearance eventually deflects out for a goal-kick.
7'
After doing well to deal with the danger, Stoke break forward on a swift counter-attack of their own. Giannelli Imbula bursts down the right flank on a great run before teeing up Arnautovic, who then picks out Shaqiri inside the box, but the latter is unable to get a shot away quickly and is eventually dispossessed.
6'
Chance for Alexis Sanchez! A poor pass from Charlie Adam is picked up by Sanchez, who immediately sprints forward. He breaks into the right-hand side of the Stoke penalty area before shooting, but the angle is too tight and he's unable to hit the target.
5'
A third corner is whipped into the box and finds a blue shirt in front of goal, but Bruno Martins Indi is unable to direct his close-range header towards goal and ends up sending it flying comfortably wide of the near post.
4'
Thumping strike by Marc Muniesa! Shaqiri's second cross is easily cleared away at the near post but only as far as Muniesa, who immediately unleashes a rocket of a volley from 30 yards out that Petr Cech does well to tip over the crossbar.
3'
Stoke embark on a good start to the game as Marko Arnautovic bursts down the right wing and wins the visitors an early corner. Xherdan Shaqiri steps up and curls a dangerous cross into the middle of the penalty area, but Laurent Koscielny is there to head the ball out for another corner.
1'
And we're off! Arsenal get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Almost a costly mistake by Cech! A wonderful lofted pass flies up to the edge of the Arsenal penalty area in search of Arnautovic. Cech darts out quickly and does well to beat the Austrian to the ball, but his attempted header clearance loops up into the air and, luckily for him, into the feet of Koscielny inside the box.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Premier League game between Arsenal and Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium.
It continues to be a good season for Arsenal, who, thanks to a 13-game unbeaten streak, head into this afternoon’s clash in second place, just three points behind Chelsea. Draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United were followed by comprehensive wins against Bournemouth and West Ham United, and they’ll be looking to do the same today as they try to keep the pressure firmly on the Premier League leaders.
He wasn’t on the scoresheet in their 4-1 thumping of Basel on Tuesday, but Alexis Sanchez has been in magnificent form recently. The Chilean has thrived as his side's main striker, scoring seven goals in his last five league appearances, including a hat-trick at the London Stadium last weekend. As a result, he’s almost certain to play a big role in what should be a hard-fought contest between two in-form sides.
Sloppy defending was most to blame for their early season woes, but Stoke head to the Emirates searching for their third consecutive clean sheet, something that they haven’t achieved in the league for almost exactly a year. The last time they came to Arsenal’s home patch and left with anything was way back in 1981, but they certainly have a good chance to break that unwanted record this afternoon.
Stoke’s difficult start to the season now seems to be a distant memory, as they currently sit ninth in the table thanks to an impressive two month period. Only Bournemouth have beaten them since the start of October, with five of their previous seven clashes ending in victories to help them climb up the table and well away from the relegation zone that once housed them.
Arsenal substitutes: Ospina, Gibbs, Bellerin, Elneny, Iwobi, Perez, Giroud.
Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Cech; Gabriel, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Coquelin; Walcott, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Sanchez.
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…
Stoke City substitutes: Given, Whelan, Ngoy, Sobhi, Bojan, Crouch, Bony.
Stoke City XI (4-2-3-1): Grant; Johnson, Muniesa, Martins Indi, Pieters; Allen, Imbula; Shaqiri, Adam, Arnautovic; Diouf.
Arsene Wenger has decided to make six changes to the Arsenal side that started the win against Basel during the week, with Petr Cech, Shkodran Mustafi, Nacho Monreal, Francis Conquelin, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all returning to the starting line-up to replace David Ospina, Rob Holding, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Lucas Perez and Alex Owobi, respectively.
Meanwhile, Stoke boss Mark Hughes has made just one alteration to the team that featured in their last outing, with Jonathan Walters making way for Joe Allen.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 1-1 STOKE CITY
It's been a relatively good opening 45 minutes for Arsenal, who will feel frustrated at having to head into the half-time break with the scoreline still level. They can have few complaints about the penalty, which was clumsily given away by Xhaka, but have done well since then, with Bellerin looking particularly bright down the right wing. That's where Stoke have struggled the most, allowing the Spaniard to enjoy far too much space every time he bombs forward.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 3-1 STOKE CITY
Arsenal comfortably hold on to pick up three points that temporarily move them equal with Chelsea at the top of the table. Their impressive unbeaten streak now stands at 14 games, and today's victory was definitely a well-deserved one. Despite going behind from the penalty spot, the Gunners always looked the most dangerous of the two sides and came back in the second half with an excellent performance.
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