Arsenal upset by Stoke 2-1 in Premier League.
Arsenal upset by Stoke 2-1 in Premier League.
Arsenal lost 2-1 at Stoke on Saturday for its third Premier League defeat, equaling its total number of losses from all of last season.
Goals from Ricardo Fuller and Seyi Olofinjana - both from Rory Delap’s long throws - stunned Arsenal, which had Netherlands forward Robin van Persie sent off in the 76th minute.
The Gunners, who were trying to rebound from dropping a two-goal lead to draw 4-4 at home with north London rival Tottenham on Wednesday, slipped from third to fourth with 20 point after 11 rounds. They were also beaten by Fulham and Hull this season.
“People who love the traditional English game must be very happy because they got what they like,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “It was a traditional English game with a lot of fight and commitment on one side and Stoke deserved to win the game.”
Stoke, which rose from 17th place to 12th with 13 points, again benefited from a long throw by Delap, which has become synonymous with its attacking play this season.
“His throws are flat and it?s pretty difficult for defenders to pick the ball up,” Stoke manager Tony Pulis said. “It has caused all sorts of trouble though the media has helped because players are worried to death before they have played us.”
Delap launched his throw deep into Arsenal’s penalty area and Kolo Toure, who was captain with William Gallas out due to a hamstring injury, failed to deal with it as Fuller managed the faintest of headers in the 11th minute.
Stoke instantly grew in confidence as Delap had a header cleared off the line by Arsenal left back Gael Clichy in the 20th minute.
Arsenal struggled to match Stoke for energy and determination. A 25-meter (yard) strike from midfielder Abou Diaby almost hit the corner flag, while Denilson’s innocuous shot from 20 meters (yards) was similarly reflective of the Gunners’ performance.
Stoke doubled its lead in the 74th minute when another long throw from Delap caused havoc in Arsenal’s defense. Ryan Shawcross headed it on and Olofinjana clumsily bundled the ball over the line with his chest before being mobbed by teammates.
“If I throw the perfect ball, with the height and quality in our team, I think it is undefendable and that has been proven,” Delap said. “There?s no secret to it, everyone knows we do it and it’s working well for us.”
The situation became even worse for Arsenal two minutes later when Van Persie was sent off for a foul on Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Soerensen after only being on the pitch for 11 minutes.
Soerensen took his time picking up the ball before a goal kick. After he did, Van Persie barged the goalkeeper and was shown a red card.
Clichy scored a consolation goal with a left-footed drive from 25 meters (yards) in injury time that took two deflections before beating Sorensen. It was too little too late.
“We had a lot of possession against a team who defended very well and were well organised,” Wenger said. “We were not sharp enough to create chances from the possession we had. They waited for their set-pieces and won because we didn?t create enough chances to score.”
Wenger had to replace right back Bacary Sagna, forward Emmanuel Adebayor and winger Theo Walcott because of injuries. Walcott, who came on as a substitute in the 58th, was carried off on a stretcher with his left arm in a sling.
