Stoke City secured their first three points in the Premier League this season with a solid defensive display in a hard-fought victory against Arsenal at the bet365 Stadium.
Potters new-boy Jese scored the winning goal on his debut whilst the Potters’ defence and goalkeeper Jack Butland withstood long periods of pressure from Arsenal to claim their first win of the season.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be extremely concerned by the defensive fragility his side has now displayed against both Leicester City and Stoke, whilst Mark Hughes will be relieved his side have won a game this early in the season following their slow start to previous seasons.
The first half largely lacked offensive quality from both sides, with Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland making fine saves from Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey efforts whilst Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross wasted a free header from Choupo-Moting’s cross.
However, the deadlock was broken less than two minutes into the second half. Jese started the move by picking out Berahino on the edge of the Arsenal box, before receiving a brutifully weighted return ball after continuing his run. The Spaniard then calmly slotted the ball past Petr Cech to score his first Premier League goal and give Stoke the lead.
Arsenal had a number of good chances to earn themselves a point but an organised Stoke defence led by Ryan Shawcross kept the Gunners’ plethora of attacking options off the scoresheet to secure a victory Stoke fans will be celebrating for weeks to come.
