Seeing the match pan out, one would never have thought the match was between Arsenal and Stoke City, with the home side being the latter. The physical barrage and the bullying expected was nowhere to be seen, as Arsenal rode the Stoke storm quite comfortably, but found it hard, yet again, to find that goal.
The Gunners huffed and puffed but could not break the Stoke defence down as Arsene Wenger's side finished with their second-straight 0-0 draw against a rather poor Stoke City side in the English Premier League.
Lukas Podolski had a bright and purposeful game and had the first chance. His close-range shot after being put through on goal was blocked by Andy Wilkinson, with suspicions of a handball, although it would have been a little harsh on the defender, if it had been given.
Stoke had a goal disallowed with Jonathan Walters finding the net, but being ruled out correctly for offside.
Podolski then created yet another chance, the German international's directness causing problems to the Stoke defence, with Robert Huth bringing down the forward harshly just outside the penalty area. Santi Cazorla, who had another bright evening for Arsenal without any end product, however, struck the freekick low, straight into the wall, and the rebound which fell to him was struck wide with his left foot.
Arsenal were in complete control, the warnings of Stoke's physical game falling on deaf ears among the Arsenal players. The midfield of Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby and Cazorla were bossing possession, but the goal that eluded them against Sunderland held firm against Stoke as well.
Cazorla then created Arsenal's next chance, forcing a nice save from Asmir Begovic, with a long-range effort.
Olivier Giroud, who put in a really good shift leading the line, Gervinho and Podolski had a few half chances, but the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
The second half, which started sluggishly, initially, bore the same pattern as the first, with Arsenal in the ascendancy, but finding it hard to find the end product. Robin Van Persie, as much as it is unfair to mention him, was being missed, with the forwards and the midfielders really running out of ideas at the final third.
That moment of magic was missing from the players, even if there were encouraging signs at the back, with the defenders rarely troubled against the fabled Stoke barrage of long throws and high crosses.
Giroud had the best chance of the second half and it was an absolute moment of brilliance from the Frenchman. Put through by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who came on in the second half along with Theo Walcott, the striker struck an unbelievable effort from about 40 yards out, with the goalkeeper Asmir Begovic clearly beaten, but the ball clipped the top of the netting, barely missing the target as Arsenal failed to find that elusive breakthrough yet again.
Plenty of work to be done upfront no doubt and the knives will be brought out on Arsenal's lack of goal-scoring prowess, but the encouraging sign was the defence and the midfield, which were hardly troubled at the fortress that is the Britannia. Steve Bould is clearly having an effect.
