[Player Ratings] Stoke 1-1 Arsenal: Booing Ramsey? Really?

Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by a typically well-organised Stoke City side at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday. 

Unsurprisingly the home side were right up for this game. Tony Pulis loves nothing more than getting one over his old foe Arsene Wenger.

Yossi Benayoun and Robin van Persie both went close before the inevitable happened, an Etherington cross found Crouch who headed home his token goal against the Gunners. Both Vermaelen and Gibbs challenged the giant striker, but neither could get near him.

We responded well and after great work by Rosicky his pin-point cross found Van Persie who tapped home his 28th league goal of the season for 1-1. After that we were by far the better side and despite creating a few openings, we couldn’t find the winner.

The so-called ‘best fans in the league’ may be loud but they showed just how classy they are by booing Aaron Ramsey’s every touch early on. They should be ashamed of themselves, and the commentators of the stream i was watching didn’t have the balls to mention it. Let’s see if MOTD will, but i’m not holding my breath. The Stoke fans also rounded off their shameful afternoon by abusing Wenger late on. Just like their manager, their fans are truly vile creatures.

It finished 1-1 and it’s a decent point given how strong Stoke are at home and our poor recent record there. Here are my ratings from the game.

Arsenal ratings

Szczesny – 7 – Could do nothing about the goal but commanded his area well when Stoke bombarded the box with set pieces. Made a smart save from a powerful Jerome effort.

Sagna – 7 – Gave Etherington too much space to cross for the opener, but his own superb cross almost lead to an RVP winner in the second half. Important goal-line clearance late on.

Vermaelen – 7 – Beaten by Crouch for the goal, but who wouldn’t be? Did well to contain the awkward striker for the rest of the game. A thunderous late shot was blocked by the hands of Shawcross right on the edge of the area but nothing was given.

Koscielny – 7.5 – Was excellent again today. Intercepted and read the game well throughout. Didn’t shy away from the physical aspect of the game.

Gibbs – 6.5 – Dealt reasonably well with Pennant but disappointing crosses at the other end. Had a could of good opportunities to put balls in the box but failed to beat the first man.

Song – 6.5 – Seemed to be holding his position in front of the back four more than usual and this affected our attacking play, but made us more solid at the back.

Ramsey – 6.5 – Did the simple things ok but struggled to get into the game. However, he did well amidst the shocking booing from the home ‘support’. Subbed.

Rosicky – 7 – Superb assist for RVP’s goal and also set the Dutchman up with another great cross early on. Tired a little in the second half and lost the ball a few times as a result.

Gervinho – 6.5 – Started well and saw a lot of the ball early on. Was better in possession than in previous weeks but still lacked that final ball, and his shooting was terrible.

Benayoun – 7 – Worked hard and combined well with Rosicky at times, but kept hold of the ball too long on occasion. Should have done better with an early chance. Also failed to pull the trigger when given the chance in the box during the second half. Was unlucky not to get a second half penalty when pushed to the ground in the box. Subbed.

Van Persie – 7 – Another goal, went close with a first half header that was well saved and set up Benayoun with a lovely through ball. Also went close with a second half header and he held the ball up well, despite the rough treatment from the Stoke defence. Could have done better with a couple of free kicks in dangerous positions though.

SUBS:

Diaby – 6 – Didn’t really have an effect on the game to be honest.

Chamakh – 6.5 – Did surprisingly well during his 10 minute cameo. Held the ball up well and won a couple of headers.

Santos – N/A – Too late to make an impact.

Watch highlights of Stoke 1-1 Arsenal

So another game out the way and no real damage done. Newcastle’s loss means third is still in our hands as the Geordies are four points behind with only one game in hand, and an extremely tough last three fixtures. Spurs are now seven points back with two games in hand. So victories over Norwich and WBA secure third place and automatic Champions League qualification for us. COYG!

What were your thoughts on the game? Get involved in the comments section.