Arsenal overcame Stoke battle – Arsene Wenger

Arsenal and second-place Leicester both have 44 points, while Manchester City is now just a point behind in third after its 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday.

“It was very important to win, having made five changes”, he told press. “But this is not something we would want our supporters to be doing”.

“We just have to look at him because he has been at the top level and won many things so if we have the belief that he has got, we can push on”.

“Compared to the history we have here, it’s a positive result”.

“I don’t listen too much, I focus on the game”, he said. We have not changed our style – we are playing the same way. In the circumstances we will take a point and move on. “You feel confident and I’m very happy that in the second-half I managed to keep everything out”. If we score a second goal, we close the match.

The home fans were in boisterous mood as they booed every touch by an Arsenal player in the early stages and the visitors struggled to get into their passing rhythm.

It was a battle, but we were very calm, very attentive.

Hughes admitted he was somewhat bewildered by such comments, responding: “I heard Arsene say he was surprised we went direct, but I’m not sure what game he was watching”.

“We did well to battle”.

Wenger said he “shut his ears” to the chants, and believed that the fans involved would not be proud of themselves once they leave the ground. Looking at the results of the other teams that play at the top, it’s a positive result.

Wenger admitted before the game that he gets even more flak at The Brit than at arch rivals Tottenham. “I hope Ozil and Sanchez are back next week”.

Referee Craig Pawson was keeping his cards in his pocket in an increasingly scrappy game, and he remained unmoved for half-hearted penalty shouts against Philipp Wollscheid on Giroud and Theo Walcott. They play out from the back, they’ve improved a lot in the quality of their build-up game.

[They] always [have a good game] when Arsenal come to Stoke.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Wenger’s chosen replacement for Ozil – curled an effort at Butland’s goal on 29 minutes from 20 yards, but the shot stopper tipped the ball over the crossbar. “I was delighted with our performance”.