Stoke City

3.38

• 
  14

  7

  3.50

  Asmir Begovic

  Made a brilliant second-half save to deny van Persie on what was a far quieter afternoon than he might have anticipated.

• 
  6

  5

  3.00

  Andy Wilkinson

  Rarely ventured beyond the half-way line but comfortably did his job of shackling Arshavin and Bendtner.

• 
  16

  5

  4.00

  Ryan Shawcross

  'There's only one Ryan Shawcross', chanted the Stoke fans throughout and it is easy to see why he is such a favourite here with a commanding display. Organised the defence superbly and always in the right place at the right time.

• 
  7

  4

  3.50

  Robert Huth

  Got pulled out of position by Arsenal's slick passing early on but settled down to form a formidable defensive barrier with Shawcross before limping off in the 51st minute with what looked like a knee injury. Appeared to be struck in the face by Song's elbow.

• 
  5

  6

  3.00

  Marc Wilson

  Fine display by the left-back. Handled Walcott as well as anyone all season to cut off a crucial supply line for the visitors.

• 
  35

  21

  4.00

  Jermaine Pennant Top of the Match

  The scourge of his former team with an outstanding display. Set up the first after winning and delivering the free-kick, scored the second with a beefy long-ranger and his crossing was pinpoint throughout. Received a standing ovation after being subbed following a barney with Wilshere.

• 
  6

  7

  3.50

  Glenn Whelan

  Threw himself into the challenge of subjugating Arsenal with barely concealed zeal and was instrumental in stopping the visitors play.

• 
  5

  6

  3.00

  Rory Delap

  Stoke were so dominant they rarely needed to call upon Delap's throw-iin weapon.

• 
  4

  7

  3.00

  Dean Whitehead

  Snapped at Arsenal's heels like a Jack Russell as he cut off the space for the visitors to manoeuvre.

• 
  16

  8

  4.00

  Jonathan Walters

  Worked like a trojan off the ball and occasionally explosive on it. Hit the crossbar from a tight angle, coaxed a superb save with a powerful second-half shot and then slammed in the third.

• 
  14

  2

  3.50

  Kenwyne Jones

  Bullied Arsenal's timid defenders with his height and muscle. Bundled in the opening goal and was always an excellent outlet ball in a class targetman display.

Substitutions

• 
  9

  5

  3.00

  Abdoulaye Faye

  Slotted in comfortably alongside Shawcross in a display of no-nonsense defending.

• 
  5

  6

  3.00

  Danny Pugh

  Helped Stoke maintain their advantage.

Arsenal FC

2.79

• 
  21

  31

  2.50

  Wojciech Szczesny

  His emergence has been one of most significant developments of the season for Arsenal but the young Pole had a rare off-day. Involved in the mis-communication for the opening goal and failed to get a strong enough hand to Pennant's second, despite being well positioned.

• 
  35

  11

  3.00

  Bacary Sagna

  The least culpable of Arsenal's defenders. Made one brilliant second-half clearance and seemed up for the battle.

• 
  34

  10

  3.00

  Laurent Koscielny

  The bastion of reliability compared to the off-colour Djourou, he made some good interceptions to make up for some poor positioning at times.

• 
  29

  52

  2.00

  Johan Djourou Flop of the Match

  Shrugged off injury to start but will wish he had not bothered. Out-muscled by Jones for the opener and then stood off Pennant for the second, although the Swiss was unlucky that the long-ranger deflected off his shinpad. A useless clearance handed Stoke their third goal.

• 
  11

  34

  2.50

  Kieran Gibbs

  With the injured Gael Clichy's future handing in the balance, the Frenchman's heir apparent struggled with this tough assignment. Appeared to duck under the free-kick for the opening goal and struggled to cope with the lively Pennant.

• 
  21

  26

  2.50

  Aaron Ramsey

  A miserable return to the scene of his February 2010 horror injury. Appeared to be affected psychologically by Arsenal's hostile reception and, after carving out one early chance for van Persie, frequently gave the ball away. Withdrawn at half-time.

• 
  10

  29

  3.00

  Alex Song

  Lost his rag after failing to win the midfield battle and appeared to deliberately direct his elbow into Huth's face. Subbed late on.

• 
  44

  11

  3.50

  Jack Wilshere

  Lucky to stay on the pitch following a nasty studs-up challenge on Pennant but stood up better than most of his team-mates and never stopped trying to conjure something special.

• 
  22

  21

  2.50

  Andrey Arshavin

  His neat footwork was to the fore in the opening exchanges but then faded and gave away a stupid foul near the corner flag ahead of the opener after Pennant played for the free-kick. Subbed at half-time.

• 
  16

  36

  2.50

  Theo Walcott

  Created very little as he was comfortably shackled by Wilson. Wasted nearly all of the half-opportunities that came his way with errant final balls.

• 
  70

  8

  3.50

  Robin van Persie

  Scored in his eighth consecutive away game with a fine piece of second-half opportunism to equal his best-ever haul of 20 in an season. Not everything he tried amounted to much but one of the few in yellow who could hold his head high.

Substitutions

• 
  15

  28

  3.00

  Tomas Rosicky

  Failed to get into the rhythm of the game.

• 
  24

  38

  2.50

  Marouane Chamakh

  Has only scored once in his last 20 appearances and did not look like ending his horror run. One powderpuff shot epitomised his lack of confidence.

• 
  37

  13

  3.00

  Nicklas Bendtner

  Tried to make things happen from his left flank berth, and did create one fine chance for van Persie with some trickery.