Stoke v Arsenal Fourth Round Draw

Add as preferred source on Google

It was a tense affair at Upton Park, with Arsenal fielding Fabianski in goal with Silvestre at right back, other the defensive unit was basically the same. In midfield, Aaron Ramsey was alongside Song and Merida, with Eduardo, Vela and Wilshere up front. The early exchanges were played in typical cup tie fashion. Arsenal were harried off the ball by an energetic West Ham midfield. Many aggressive challenges were ignored by the referee, and they played by far the better football in the first twenty minutes. Arsenal managed to start their passing game and despite the endeavour of Robert Green in goal, Arsenal never really looked like scoring, as Vela and then Eduardo seemed to lose the run of the ball.The West Ham goal was made by a defensive error from Sagna who was slow coming out with the defensive line, and as Silvestre stepped, the West Ham striker was clearly played onside. Fabianski’s despairing dive deflected the shot, but the ball crept inside the far post to raise the noise levels at Upton Park. With only five minutes to go to the break, this was goal that Gianfranco Zola wanted for his depleted outfit. Arsenal went in at half time behind in the score, but had the knowledge that West Ham could not maintain the pace of their pressure on the ball for all of the second half.
The second half saw Arsenal with more purpose and finally the spaces were beginning to open up. Song maintained his position in front of the back for, and his consistency will be sorely missed when he departs for the Cup of Nations. Nevertheless the West Ham attackers sensed that if they could sneak a second goal early then the tie might go in their favour. However Arsenal had other ideas and gradually the passes started to go to feet and the pattern emerged of a defensive West Ham. Eventually Arsene Wenger made the decisive substitutions with Nasri and Daiby coming on for Wilshere and Merida.
Diaby has shown his class in the Premier League and almost immediately, he dominated the West Ham midfield. Song combined well and within ten minutes chnaces were coming thick and fast. Robert Green saw his goal coming under increasing pressure as vela and then Eduardo had efforts either cleared off the line or saved by the keeper. The goal when it came was from a lovely drive forward by Song whose angled pass found Vela on the left edge of the box. He saw Ramsey’s timed run and managed to slot the ball into his run and the welsh man thundered a left footed ball pass the advancing Green into the bottom far corner.
The second goal came from the same architect of the assist, mexican superstar Carlos Vela. His run down the left channel seemed to leave Upton versus Eduardo, with several West Ham players in between. Yet the precisely delivered cross found the Croatian striker whose header was sublime and he directed the ball up into the near top corner, past the hands of Robert Green. this is what the away fans had come to see. hardly emphatic, certainly not the best football that Arsenal can deliver, but the most important thing was the belief and the desire of the Gunners.

Final result West Ham 1 Arsenal 2.
So after a finally assured victory over West Ham, Arsenal now face Stoke City away,  in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The tie to be played on the 23rd of January
FA Fourth Round Draw in Full