Arsenal vs. Stoke: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Arsenal climbed to second in the Premier League on Saturday after defeating Stoke City 2-0 thanks to goals from Theo Walcott and substitute Olivier Giroud.

Arsene Wenger's side were left frustrated by a raft of missed chances before Mesut Ozil teed Walcott up for the opener, and Giroud staked his claim for a starting place after adding a second from the bench.

The Emirates Stadium hosts took a firm hold of possession and dominated the shot count, but the all too familiar lack of clear-cut finishing in front of goal gave Stoke hope of clinching a result right up until the final whistle.

France international and recognised first-choice striker Olivier Giroud was left on the bench for Saturday's clash, and Squawka suggested Wenger may be right to give Walcott precedence up front in future:

Meanwhile, Mark Hughes' visitors struggled to mount any threat of their own as the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Mame Biram Diouf and Joselu were muted in attack, mustering just nine shots on goal, per WhoScored.com.

Despite the fact it was Walcott starting in the central striking role, Alexis Sanchez actually stood out as the biggest danger for Arsenal in the opening exchanges.

Stoke stopper Jack Butland had a difficult time keeping the Chilean at bay. Sanchez proceeded to hit the post twice in under 10 minutes, per the official Premier League Twitter account, first with a header before repeating the feat from longer range:

Walcott had ample opportunity to put the Gunners ahead as Ozil, Sanchez and Santi Cazorla did their bit to weave openings in the Potters defence, but the Emirates' finishing curse hung over.

That was until the 31st minute, when the winger's obvious pace advantage allowed him to collected a searching Ozil ball over the top, holding defender Marc Muniesa off before striking low into the bottom left.

Bogdan Maran/Associated Press

The two sides went in at the break separated by a single goal, and try though Wenger's men might, unearthing a second strike proved nigh impossible no matter how hard they knocked.

England goalkeeper Butland earned no small amount of praise for his work in keeping the deficit down to one, with the official Stoke City account among those dubbing the No. 1 Man of the Match with 20 minutes still to play:

However, the Emirates breathed a unified sigh of relief after Giroud came on with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining before finally doubling Arsenal's lead in the 85th minute.

Cazorla whipped in a free-kick for the Frenchman to head home and crush any hope Stoke had of clinching a point, but OptaJoe pointed out his record is still not looking all that inspiring:

Wenger will be glad to claim his third win of the 2015-16 Premier League campaign, not to mention winning a match by a margin of two goals for the first time this season.

However, lingering concerns over Arsenal's killer instinct—or lack thereof—means the Gunners won't be resting on their laurels anytime soon as they prepare to open their Champions League season against Dynamo Zagreb on Wednesday.  

Post-Match Reaction

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

In the wake of a performance that undoubtedly only justified the calls for attacking reinforcements as far as some are concerned, Wenger was adamant to look upon the positives of Saturday's performance.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the 2-0 victory, Wenger highlighted the first-half display in particular and insisted the goals will come in greater number:

"

We had to wait to make sure of our victory but I thought our performance was convincing. In the first half our movement was outstanding and we created a lot. In the second half our pace dropped maybe a little bit in our passing but we continuously created chances and overall it was a strong performance. 

My only regret is that there is too big a difference between the number of chances we made and the number of goals we scored but that will come.

"

Jacqui Oatley of BBC Sport provided further quotes from Wenger, who went on to address why Walcott was preferred to Giroud in the starting lineup:

He added that while Arsenal may draw criticism for a lack of transfer business, people "must believe in the players," per Oatley, noting Walcott would not have scored had more players being bought in the summer.

Hughes was understandably more downtrodden following his side's defeat, but a superb outing from young stopper Butland gave the travelling manager cause to be upbeat:

From here, Arsenal fans will hope Wenger is correct and that their current crop of players prove sufficient for the season to come, or until January at the very least.