By Ollie Irish
Whisper it, but now that Arsenal have more than a sniff of the Premier League title, I don’t think Arsene Wenger will be too dismayed to be out of the FA Cup. He won’t be dancing a jig either, but his selection of a less-than-full-strength starting XI for this match showed clearly where his priorities lie: with the Prem and the Champions League.
That’s not to denigrate Stoke, who played a fine match, especially in the second half. Ricardo Fuller had easily his best game of the season – he was a real handful for Arsenal’s defence, which included Sol Campbell making his second Gunners debut. Sol did okay but you wonder if Wenger will trust him with more than a substitute’s role in the heavyweight league competitions – I guess not, as on this evidence, the veteran centre-back would struggle to cope with quicker forwards than Fuller.
Photos from the Britannia Stadium:
Photos: PA