Delap the provider again

STOKE CITY 2 ARSENAL 1:ARSENAL SUPPORTERS departed from Staffordshire in an uncomfortable siuation. Their team already sunk on a cold and remorseless afternoon, those gathered at Stoke-on-Trent station waited for news from White Hart Lane, aware that victory for their despised rivals offered the best outcome as far as their title credentials are concerned.

It duly arrived and relieved smiles were plentiful. Only the naive, however, did not recognise that the respite was temporary. Everything went wrong for the visitors at the Britannia Stadium but while Rory Delap's monstrous throw-ins can be put down as a twice-a-season nuisance and the hat-trick of injuries that inflicted Arsene Wenger's team a rare freak, the fact Arsenal never appeared likely to recover from going behind is a more ingrained concern. Explanations were sought on the journey back to London but the answer was perhaps hit upon long before then.

"They lack that spine you need (to win the title)," said the Stoke goalkeeper, Thomas Sorensen, shortly after the final whistle, an opinion that gathers weight when it is remembered the Dane has already faced Liverpool and Chelsea this season.

"I think with the way the other teams are playing, it's going to be really hard for them now to become champions. Arsenal are a fantastic football side but they are lacking that bit of physicality. When Chelsea came here they matched us in the challenges whereas Arsenal weren't quite there. That's the difference; they want to play all the time and sometimes you have to work hard and earn that opportunity to play your football."

On Saturday Arsenal were already having to battle the wind and the incredible noise generated by the home support before Rory Delap took position in the 11th minute for his first throw-in of the match. Backed up by statistics that showed he had created five of Stoke's 11 league goals this season, the 32-year-old pulled back his arms and allowed the accompanying slow, thunderous hand-clap to boom from all four stands. Moments later the ball had reached the back of the visitors' six-yard box and, shortly after that, Ricardo Fuller's deft header had made it 1-0 to Stoke. Glancing helplessly at each other, Arsenal's players appeared aware that the die had been cast.

Aware of the directness of Stoke's attacking play, Wenger adjusted his starting line-up accordingly. Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri were dropped from the side that drew with Tottenham and in came the more robust Alexandre Song, Abou Diaby and Nicklas Bendtner. But what would be of concern to Arsenal supporters is that even this team struggled to compete and found themselves 2-0 down on 73 minutes in similar circumstances, this time Delap's throw-in being flicked on by Ryan Shawcross for Seyi Olofinjana to bundle home.

Arsenal did get a consolation thanks to Gael Clichy's injury-time shot from long range, but not before Van Persie had been sent off for an unprovoked and absurd barge on Sorensen and Walcott had been carried off on a stretcher after landing badly on his left shoulder. He will know more after today's scan but along with Adebayor and Bacary Sagna, both of whom sustained ankle injuries, is a major doubt for Wednesday's visit of Fenerbahce.

Arsenal have now lost as many matches this season, three, as they did in the whole of the previous one but Liverpool's defeat at Spurs means they remain only six points off the summit but with the team in such flimsy condition, Saturday's encounter with Manchester United already seems critical. Wenger, too, appears aware of the potential consequences. "I don't know how many more defeats we can afford," the Frenchman said.

For Stoke, now 12th, there is only joy.

"This is a fantastic result and I just hope the players push on and put in performances like that week in, week out," said the manager, Tony Pulis.

Guardian Service