Arsenal 3 Stoke 0
I watched the first 10 minutes but it was a non-event between mediocre teams.
A bigger match was kicking off at 4pm and I wanted to stay fresh, so I went up my office to do some tricky editing.
When I went downstairs again in 64 the score was still 0-0.
But by then Arsenal did look like scoring.
Then Jan came back from her Sunday walk in the park and said she’d met a neighbour and his daughter and he said, “I had to go out. I can’t watch Arsenal v Stoke.” (I’m not making this up. She used to teach his daughter, who is doing A-levels this summer.)
We all need a walk on Easter Sunday and I’d timed mine to come back for the Arsenal kick-off at 1.30pm.
In 69, I saw a Shakiri corner rocket across the goalmouth and rebound from the far post. Then Arsenal broke away promisingly. When Ozil released Aubameyang, his jabbed shot hit Jack Butland’s arm.
The penalty?
It was a cleverly planned dive by Ozil and Martins Indi got a toe to the ball.
Auba slotted coolly to make it 1-0 and referee Craig Pawson had won the game for Arsenal, Thanks, Craig.
Neither of these teams is much cop in the goalscoring stakes.
Every replay I saw made me more convinced the first goal was never a penalty.
Ozil knew a big clumsy defender was just behind him and he had no intention of shooting. He just moved the ball a tiny distance, stepped fractionally sideways towards the ball, expected contact, and fell on his face.
Aubameyang took the pen very well for 1-0.
When an Ozil corner came off a Stoke defender to Aubameyang, he scored with a sweetly bouncing low shot for 2-0. Badou Ndiaye shoved sub Lacazette and he buried the penalty for 3-0.
Arsenal’s big game is against CSKA in Moscow on Thursday night.
PS. You may have missed this informative interview :
http://arsenalnewsreview.co.uk/wp/steve-bould-talks-about-cantona-and-his-four-toughest-opponents/