STOKE CITY 1 (Pugh 8, Shawcross sent off 66)
ARSENAL 3 (Bendtner 32, Fabregas pen 90, Vermaelen 90+3)

STOKE CITY

Sorensen

Wilkinson     Huth     Collins     Pugh

Lawrence     Whelan     Delap     Sidibe

Tuncay

Substitutes: Begovic (gk), Lawrence (for Whitehead 78), Beattie, Kitson, Diao, Tuncay (for Fuller 80), Collins (for Faye 60).

ARSENAL

Almunia

Sagna     Vermaelen     Campbell     Clichy

Walcott     Fabregas (c)     Song     Rosicky

Bendtner     Eduardo

Substitutes: Fabianski (gk), Rosicky (for Ramsey 70), Eduardo (for Nasri 83), Vela, Walcott (for Eboue 75), Silvestre, Traore.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee - Peter Walton | Assistants - S Burt & M Murphy | Fourth Official - M Jones

MINUTE-TO-MINUTE

5.20pm: Welcome to stokecityfc.com for live minute-to-minute coverage of this evening's game.

5.25pm: It's Danny Pugh's first start in the league since May after his impressive performance off the bench in midweek. Etherington fails to even make the bench whilst there is no place for Danny Higginbotham either.

5.27pm: The two teams head out onto the pitch here at a freezing cold Britannia Stadium. We don't fancy this much from up here in the press box so how will the players cope down on the pitch today?

5.30pm: Glenn Whelan and Ricardo Full get the game started, with the Potters shooting towards the SEAT Stand.

2 mins: Rory Delap takes his first throw in of the day short with the Arsenal team in the box. Abdoulaye Faye knocks it high into the area instead where Fuller heads on for Shawcross. Campbell covers well.

3 mins: Sagna hobbles off the pitch for treatment on his back after being chased down by Ricardo Fuller. The Potters aren't giving Arsenal a second from the off.

5 mins: This time Delap's throw goes long but Sidibe's flick on sadly goes the wrong side of the post.

8 mins - GOAL: 1-0 to the Potters and it's Rory Delap's long throw in that does Arsenal again! Shawcross directs a header towards the back post and Pugh heads home from close range to make it a perfect start.

12 mins: Sagna wins Arsenal a corner kick down the right but Fabregas' ball in to the near post is headed away by Whelan.

14 mins: Bendtner skews a poor shot wide of the post after the referee waved play on following what looked like a foul on Fuller by Campbell.

18 mins: Great tackle by Faye to stop Eboue in his ttracks following a neat through ball by Fabregas.

26 mins: Sorensen makes sure with Fabregas' venemous volley by tipping it around the post, although replays show he may have been alright leaving it. He then punches the corner to safety as well.

29 mins: Wilkinson lashes wide after Whelan's initial shot at goal was blocked.

32 mins - GOAL: Arsenal's pressing on the Stoke goal pays off when Bendtner heads a right wing cross back across goal and into the back of the net. 1-1.

41 mins: Delightful footwork from Delap sees him get past Clichy down the right and put a cross into the box. Sidibe, Pugh and even Wilkinson all battle to get room to shoot but are closed out.

42 mins: Fabregas hacks down Shawcross near the halfway line but somehow escapes a booking.

45 mins: Two minutes off added time says the fourth official.

HALF-TIME. STOKE CITY 1 ARSENAL 1.

6.34pm: Arsenal start the second half. No changes at the break by either side.

49 mins: Arsenal are furious when a penalty claim is waved away by the referee. We'll wait to see a replay before commenting.

50 mins: Sorensen gets down low to save a powerful strike from 18 yards out.

50 mins: The replay is shown and it was Ramsey who trurned on the ball before going down under the pressure from Abdoulaye Faye. It seemed like he went down way to easy.

53 mins: Three successive corners for Stoke by Danny Pugh with Almunia coming out to claim the final one.

53 mins: Eboue dives in the area as the visitors again try for a penalty. Instead it's a corner kick as Faye puts Fabregas' ball out. City clear.

56 mins: Today's attendance is given as 27,011.

58 mins: A foul is given against Sidibe as he stands his ground by Almunia as a Delap throw hurls towards goal. It was similar to the Shawcross/Given incident and was never a foul.

59 mins: Eboue works his way in from the left and shoots at goal with Sorensen having to be alert to tip the ball over the bar.

60 mins; Danny Collins comes on for Abdoulaye Faye. He's been looking a bit jaded.

62 mins: Song's booked for impeding Delap down the right flank.

65 mins: Fuller gets on the end of Sidibe's flick on and puts in a left footed strike that Almunia saves.

66 mins - RED CARD: Ryan Shawcross is shown a straight red card for a challenge on Aaron Ramsey. The tv  monitor here shows his foot dislocated with Glenn Whelan, who is closeby, immediately shouting for a physio. Campbell is amongst those calling to the referee and Peter Walton responds by sending Shawcross off.

70 mins: Ramsey is stretched off to the waiting ambulance and Rosicky comes on in his place.

71 mins: Still no replays have been shown yet so we cannot judge the incident again.

75 mins: Theo Walcott comes on for Eboue.

77 mins: Whitehead races on to Fuller's clever ball forward but Delap can't make his cutback into the area. That was unlucky there.

78 mins: Liam Lawrences comes on for Whitehead.

80 mins: Tuncay comes on for Ricardo Fuller. He's worked hard today.

83 mins: Eduardo comes on for Nasri and Wenger goes for all three points.

87 mins: Eduardo is put through on goal after neat interplay but shoots wide of the post with Huth arriving and Sorensen closing down the angle.

89 mins: Stoke defending for their lives with Huth and Lawrence both doing well to get the ball away from the danger zone/.

90 mins: Penalty to Arsenal! Bendtner played the ball through and it hit Danny Pugh's arm from point blank range. That was never deliberate in a million years. He didn't even book him for it.

90 mins - GOAL: Fabregas tucks the penalty away to put  the visitors ahead. Sorensen was so close to saving that.

90 mins: Seven additional minutes are given by the fourth official.

93 mins - GOAL: The Gunners grab a third with Vermaelen tapping home from close range after a decent save by Sorensen. Eduardo squared the rebound to the defender who couldn't miss. The sending off and the penalty had completely taken the stuffing out of the Potters.

97 mins: Fabregas crunches Pugh and again escapes a booking. Match report and post-match reaction to follow...

FULL-TIME. STOKE CITY 1 ARSENAL 3.