Arsenal’s Mesut Özil celebrates his 49th-minute goal in the 3-1 victory over Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium. As weeks go, three straight wins, a flurry of 12 goals and the confidence booster of enjoying life top of their Champions League group and the Premier League (even if only temporarily), brings the sort of cheer Arsène Wenger must wish he could bottle. In recent seasons Arsenal have had their encouraging moments, but sustaining them into the sharp end of the season has been the tougher trick to pull off. The challenge to maintain this rich form is on. Watford and Stefano Okaka rally to hold off Everton and Romelu Lukaku Read more Arsenal went a goal behind but surged up a gear to see off Stoke with goals from Theo Walcott, Mesut Özil and Alex Iwobi. While conscious that Chelsea can leapfrog them before the weekend is out, it is worth noting that Arsenal have made a habit of playing with inhibitions when the chance to enjoy the summit has presented itself. This time, they relished it. “We are in the fight,” Wenger said. He was pleased to point out that a game like this epitomised one of the areas of improvement he wanted from his team. “I felt last year at home we did very well against the top five and dropped points against the teams in mid-table, between positions 5-12. That’s our challenge, to continue to do well in this type of game.” Stoke played their part in this competitive tussle. An ambitious start that culminated in two chances in the first five minutes saw Marc Muniesa wallop a dangerous long-range volley and a swift break required some clever defending to send Xherdan Shaqiri away from a clear sight of goal.
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