Match Day Thread Arsenal vs. Stoke City 2016/17 Official Match Thread

3-1! Should be game over hopefully.

Great finish from Iwobi, good refereeing for once.

 

Hopefully the start of a return to early season form for Iwobi

 

Have to agree that Xhaka is often too violent, but he did nothing wrong here. his elbow wasn't even up, Joe Allen only comes up to his shoulder and ran into the back of him. You see this in kid's games all the time when the little kid comes in from the wrong side and gets wiped out. Xhaka's elbow isn't really out, and I'm not sure he even saw him coming.

Xhaka had won the ball and had possession. It was another dreadful decision. Referees are still looking for reasons to give penalties against us it seems.

 

Having watched the replay again several times - my issue isn't with the elbow per se, it was the way he challenged for the ball. Just seemed a bit reckless the way he went in, as Allen wasn't in a threatening position to score. I agree that it probably shouldn't have been a penalty and that Xhaka couldn't have really gotten out of the way because it was an unfortunate collision, but I can comprehend why the referee gave it.

That being said, if this was the case, I couldn't understand why Xhaka wasn't given his marching orders.

If the referee thought it was a penalty because of the elbow, surely that's violent conduct and Xhaka should have been sent off. If he thought it was just an unfortunate collision, he should have stopped the game and let the Stoke physios come on to treat Allen, then give the ball back to Stoke to continue the game as normal. It was either one or the other, yet Mason seemed to make a decision that was somewhere in between. Obviously I'm glad Xhaka stayed on the pitch, but it just seemed like a bizarre sequence of events.

 

Just back home. Great result and good to see us top of the league (for now) and with the best goal scoring record in the prem (who said we needed a £80m striker anyway ....)

Really pleased for Iwobi. That two this week he's got. He's a cracking player who Wenger obviously rates really highly. His goals could be a good confidence boost for him to go on and get some more this season. Also shout to the Ox who had another good game, and also Walcott who scored again. If we keep spreading the goals around the team like this then we're always going to be able to get a result, which is great news for our title bid

 

Liverpool is also a culturally very interesting city with fantastic museums such as the one about Slavery and its Maritime Museum, iconic architechture, namely the Three Graces. In addition it has a good mix of theatres, concert venues, great bars and restaurants. A bit like London but on a much smaller scale. I have never really seen much of Stoke so I cannot really comment.

 

Unfortunately I have. It's a s**thole.

 

Liverpool is a great city,i'm really looking forward to seeing the Terracotta Army next year.

 

I had a great view for the game yesterday.One of the lads who travels to games with us is a season ticket holder,he asked me to get his grandson a ticket for yesterday's game.He wanted to sit with his grandson so he let me use his season ticket.I was right on the half way line in the East Lower.

 

Anyone else see Charlie Adam's little stamp on Alexis? All over twitter now but basically his ingrained need to hurt folk allowed Iwobi the extra 2 seconds to nip through and get the third. Great play from their captain, a real role model for the club.