Arsenal vs. Stoke: Arsene Wenger and Mark Hughes Post-Match Reaction

Arsene Wenger was obviously a happy man after Arsenal beat Stoke City 3-0 at the Emirates on Sunday, avenging their embarrassing 3-2 loss from December. The Potters overran the Gunners early in that match, and the Arsenal boss was adamant not to let the same happen on Sunday, per the club's official Twitter feed:

Laurent Koscielny opened the score after just six minutes and Alexis Sanchez added a brace before 50 minutes had been played, giving the hosts a comfortable lead they wouldn't relinquish.   

The match didn't play out in a perfect manner for Arsenal, however. Stoke came out with an aggressive game plan and put in several big tackles, resulting in an injury to Mathieu Debuchy.

Wenger thought it could have been much worse, praising his squad for playing at a pace high enough to stop the Potters from putting in too many heavy challenges:

Debuchy suffered a dislocated shoulder and will see a specialist to assess the extent of the damage, per ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery:

Perhaps the biggest story on Sunday was David Ospina, the summer acquisition who was given the start in favour of Wojciech Szczesny. The latter has struggled in recent weeks but has been Wenger's designated starter for years now, and to see him benched at such a crucial time was a surprise.

Wenger refused to answer questions about the situation at the goalkeeper position, via The Independent's Sam Wallace:

Chilean superstar Sanchez bagged himself yet another brace, and after just half a season, the former Barcelona man already looks like arguably the best transfer move the Gunners have made in years.

The French manager told reporters his star forward is confident in his abilities, and it's this confidence that drives him:

Looking ahead to the future, Wenger is hopeful Mesut Ozil will soon be fit enough to appear in matches, giving him another creative weapon to work with in midfield:

Stoke City's Mark Hughes didn't have any problem admitting his team was beaten by a superior side on Sunday, via the Potters' official Twitter feed:

As shared by this Arsenal fan, he praised the Gunners' overall talent level and the fact the team just overwhelmed the wide areas:

He also confirmed Liverpool are terminating the loan spell of Oussama Assaidi early, with the player likely moving abroad on a permanent transfer, via The Sentinel's Keith Wales:

With the win, Arsenal move level on points with Southampton and the Premier League top four, with the Saints playing Manchester United later on Sunday.

After a series of up-and-down results, the Gunners have started to find a bit of consistency in the past few weeks, with the loss against the Saints being the only blip on the schedule.

Arsenal are certainly trending in the right direction and on the verge of cracking the top four, while Stoke sit comfortably in the belly of the standings. The gap with the relegation zone isn't massive, but it's far too early to start worrying for the Potters.

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