Source: Telegraph
Stoke City 3 Arsenal 1: match report
No dream return for Sol Campbell. Instead, having re-signed for Arsenal at the age of 35, the central defender was glaringly at fault as Stoke City, deservedly, dumped a relatively inexperienced Arsenal line-up out of the FA Cup. Their goals came courtesy of Ricardo Fuller, both headers, with the Jamaican striker a rampaging threat throughout before Dean Whitehead added a late third. [LNB]Stoke had fielded their strongest line-up while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had opted for what was effectively a Carling Cup team most noticeable for the inclusion of Campbell and Cesc Fabregas, although there were reinforcements mid-way through the second-half. But Stoke scored their decisive second goal after those arrivals. [LNB]Eduardo ready to return for ArsenalArsenal fell behind after precisely 68 seconds. It was a trademark goal and Wenger will have been all the more angry for that with a long-throw by Rory Delap, met by Fuller who beat a hesitant Lukasz Fabianski to the ball. His header flew into the net. For Arsenal the moment was made worse as the striker had been unmarked. [LNB]Campbell stood rooted, Fabregas marked space and Francis Coquelin, the 18-year-old full-back who went on to have a hapless performance, had allowed Fuller to drift. [LNB]After the goal, Arsenal were knocked back and Stoke were moving the ball forward quickly. Fuller beat Armand Traore down the Arsenal left and cut the ball back to Mamady Sidibe who mis-cued his shot and the opportunity was lost. [LNB]The Arsenal back four, in particular, were vulnerable with Campbell and Silvestre appearing too old, and the full-backs too young. [LNB]Fuller was the force and when he was caught by Silvestre just inside the penalty area, the striker tried to stay on his feet before eventually falling over. Mistakenly, referee Martin Atkinson waved away the penalty appeals. [LNB]It had appeared a decisive moment and Stoke were even more incensed when Atkinson then penalised Dean Whitehead harshly for a handball as he deflected Fabregas's flick on the corner of the area. From the free-kick, the Spaniard rolled the ball to fellow midfielder Denilson and his low shot struck two Stoke players, the diving Whitehead and then Danny Collins, to wrong-foot goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and spin low into the net. [LNB]Suddenly Arsenal were alive. Sorensen tipped over Fabregas's shot from distance, Carlos Vela hooked the ball across goal, after evading Danny Higginbotham but then back came Stoke. Fuller stole the ball away from Silvestre but his rising shot cleared the cross-bar and then Sidibe tore down the right before crossing. The ball evaded Campbell and with Silvestre struggling, Fuller headed on. [LNB]By then Wenger had thrown on three new players a triple substitution - and one of those, Aaron Ramsey, went close before the impressive Matthew Etherington cut down the left and crossed invitingly for Whitehead to gleefully side-foot home and end Arsenal's hopes.[LNB]
