FA Cup 4th Round

I knew we were going out of this competition as soon as Arsene spoke those immortal words “I will put out a team that I think can win us the game”

The well known phrase “Arsene Knows” should have been changed for this competition to “Arsene Knew” or even  “Arsene Hoped” because clearly Wenger had his mind focused on the next five Premier League games instead of the Stoke in the 4th Round of the FA Cup.

Ricardo Fuller scored two headed goals as Stoke City finally buried their FA Cup hoodoo at the hands of Arsenal by beating the Gunners 3-1 at the Britannia Stadium.

Arsene Wenger made nine changes from the team which beat Bolton in midweek, with only skipper Cesc Fabregas and Denilson retained that told you that Arsene has his mind focused on the Premier League rather than the FA Cup.

As predicted, 35-year-old Sol Campbell made his second Arsenal debut - the best part of four years since his last appearance for the Gunners but Campbell and the rest of our second and third choice make shift defence were bystanders when Stoke took the lead after just 71 seconds from the predictable route.

Arsenal's passing game was not up to its usual standard and they were making little impression against a well drilled home defence who just shut us down as soon as we had the ball.

Stoke threatened to extend their lead in the 25th minute when Fuller skinned Armand Traore to set up Mamady Sidibe, whose shot was blocked close to goal.Campbell settled to put in some trademark challenges, but Fuller remained a threat and may well have earned a 34th-minute penalty if he had gone down under Mikael Silvestre's ill-timed challenge.

Arsenal drew level three minutes before the interval after referee Martin Atkinson had penalised Dean Whitehead for handball at the corner of the penalty area.

Everyone expected Fabregas to shoot, but he rolled the ball square to Denilson and the Brazilian's low drive took a slight deflection off Whitehead and sped past the unsighted Thomas Sorensen.

The contest really opened up at the start of the second half with both teams going for it in what had developed into a cracking cup tie but  a Fabregas shot was tipped over by Sorensen, but Stoke were doing most of the attacking with Matty Etherington a consistent threat and Fuller belting a shot over after robbing Silvestre.

And Pulis' men were inches away from taking a 63rd-minute lead when Francis Coquelin almost diverted Sidibe's cross into his own net with Etherington waiting to pounce.

Wenger brought on Andrey Arshavin, Eduardo and Aaron Ramsey in the 68th minute in an attempt to turn the tide.But Sidibe and Fuller, who were about to be substituted themselves, combined for Stoke's 78th-minute winner.
Sidibe hurtled down the right flank chased by a tired Denilson and delivered the perfect cross over Campbell for Fuller to cushion his header past the wrong-footed Fabianski from six yards.Whitehead made sure with a close-range tap-in from Etherington's inch-perfect cross four minutes from time.

Arsene must now deliver the points to justify his decision to sacrifice the FA Cup yet again by getting the points against Villa, United, Chelsea and Liverpool, should he not do so and if he has not bought anyone in the transfer window then he needs to look at himself and question his priorities.

Theo Walcott must now be starting to wonder if he will make into the England squad to South Africa because on today’s performance he looked as though he shouldn’t have even make it into this substitute filled Arsenal team.