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Four things we learned: Stoke City 1-4 Arsenal

Alt="Arsene Wenger celebrates Mesut Ozil's goal during Arsenal's 4-1 win over Stoke City"

Alt="Arsene Wenger celebrates Mesut Ozil's goal during Arsenal's 4-1 win over Stoke City"

Arsenal battered Stoke City 4-1 on their way through to a first win at the Bet365 Stadium since February 2010. A goal each for Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, and a brace for Olivier Giroud ensured that the Gunners’ top-four hopes remain intact. 

The win now takes Arsenal (69) to within a single point of Liverpool (70), who are due to play West Ham United tomorrow. Will the Reds slip up? We shall see. In the meantime, here are the four things we learned from a typically wild encounter at Stoke:

1. It’s Alexis Sanchez’s world and we live in it

Alt=" Arsenal celebrate during their 4-1 win over Stoke City"

It was yet another masterclass from the Chilean, who assisted Mesut Ozil as well as scoring a goal himself despite being injured a couple of minutes before he put Arsenal 3-1 up.

Perhaps, that was another example as to why is the best player in the team and deserves to be paid what he wants too. All through the game, he was full of energy as he ever is, even ready to put his pain aside when required – world-class.

2. Olivier Giroud is there when you need him

Olivier Giroud scored his first brace since the game against Sunderland – which was also a 4-1 win – to prove his importance to the team for the umpteenth time. Often slated for his lack of involvement, the Frenchman showed that if the team plays to his strengths, he can always deliver.

That’s his third goal in two games now and the eighth in an away game this season.

3. Arsenal are the Champions of May

Alt="Arsenal celebrate during their 4-1 win over Stoke City"

This is all too familiar, isn’t it? Come May, Arsenal do tend to pick themselves up and grind out the requires results for the UEFA Champions League qualification. The Gunners have already won three games in succession, scoring eight and conceding just one goal during that run.

As Liverpool’s stuttering form continues, a couple of wins more may just allow Arsenal to snaffle the fourth UCL spot right on time.

4. Arsene Wenger deserves more respect

Just as the game kicked-off, another plane flew by carrying the same soporific, boring-old message that read “Wenger out means Wenger out”. Well, if the banner were to make a difference, it’d have done so ages ago, but the question has to be asked: What has Wenger done to deserve that much hatred? If that’s what being a club’s best-ever manager gets, you may as well not manage at all.

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