Arsenal fail to score again in draw with Stoke

Arsenal again had to settle for a bore draw as they failed to score again in their second Premier League game of the season. Once again they created plenty of chances but failed to take them. However the team does look as though it's got potential. There was once again a cleansheet which is a major positive and will also be a massive confidence boost for Vito Mannone who came in for the injured Wojciech Szczesny. The goal less draw surely means that Arsene Wenger will now have to look for attacking reinforcements in the final week of the transfer window though. Or does it? Buying another striker could be a sign that Arsenal are panicking as Wenger's summer buys have yet to find the net. However with strikers looking to depart such as Bendtner, Park and possibly Chamakh another new striker could be on the cards. Not to mention that the Gunners could also do with a new defensive midfielder and also a new defender before the transfer window slam shuts on Friday night.

Aswell as the cleansheet in the game with Stoke, there were some other positives again. Arsenal created a lot of chances and Olivier Giroud looked very confident when taking shots on goal. Meanwhile Santi Cazorla was again dominant in the middle of midfield. Giroud was one of two changes to the starting lineup as the Frenchman made his first competitive start for the club in place of Walcott who was dropped to the bench. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was also on the bench as reserve goalkeeper Damian Martinez was also a sub due to injuries to Szczesny and Fabianski.

Santi Cazorla was once again the stand out man for Arsenal

Just 6 minutes into the game and it looked as though Stoke had opened the scoring. Peter Crouch headed the ball into the path of Walters who fired the ball home but for the offside flag that ruled the goal out.

Arsenal's first chance of the game fell to Lukas Podolski. The ball bounced off of Giroud and into the path of the German who hit a shot which was blocked brilliantly by Wilkinson.

Santi Cazorla then had two chances in quick succession as first his free-kick was blocked by the wall and then he shot once more from the rebound but he dragged the attempt wide of the goal.

Just before the half hour mark Vito Mannone was tested for the first time in the match as Kightly drove a shot from outside the box but it was straight at Mannone who held onto the ball well.

Cazorla was the man who was once again testing the goalkeeper as he drove forward with the ball before unleashing a shot which Begovic did well to beat away.

The new Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen was then on the end of a very nasty tackle on the edge of the box from Andy Wilkinson. A challenge which resulted in a yellow card and a free-kick. Mikel Arteta took the dead ball but once again it was hammered into the wall.

Then as he did against Sunderland, Olivier Giroud had another great chance to possibly win the game for Arsenal. Cazorla's floated free kick found Giroud on the penalty spot but he acrobatically put the ball wide.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had come on as a second half sub then had a decent opportunity from a corner. Arteta managed to find the head of Chamberlain but it went harmlessly over the crossbar.

Stoke City hadn't really threatened much but Walters then had a good chance in the last 5 minutes as he went clear on goal and then tried to flick the ball past Mannone but the Italian goalkeeper was equal to it.

Aaron Ramsey, the man who had broken his leg in this fixture in 2010, then almost gave the Gunners the lead as he found room on the edge of the area before firing his shot wide of Begovic in the Stoke goal.

With 2 minutes left Giroud let fly with a speculative effort from far out on the left hand side which chipped Begovic and just went over. The frenchman also had Ramsey in the middle which could have been a better option but instead he went for goal which almost payed off.

The final score finished Stoke 0-0 Arsenal.

The teams lineups:

Stoke: Begovic, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Wilson, Kightly, Whelan(81), Cameron, Pennant(66), Walters, Crouch(79).
Subs: Sorenson, Upson, Shotton(79), Delap, Palacios(81), Jones, Jerome(66).

Arsenal: Mannone, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Diaby, Arteta, Cazorla(81), Gervinho(72), Giroud, Podolski(72).
Subs: Martinez, Santos, Djourou, Coquelin, Ramsey(81), Oxlade-Chamberlain(72), Walcott(72).

Man of the match: Santi Cazorla

Referee: Lee Mason
Attendance: 27,072