Robin gone but not forgotten as Arsenal toil

Stoke City 0 Arsenal 0

“Robin van Persie, he would have scored that,” sang, what appeared to be, the entire Britannia Stadium after the new Manchester United forward’s replacement Olivier Giroud spectacularly missed the target from Santi Cazorla’s corner midway through the second half.

Even Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, could not argue afterwards that it is proving difficult to replace a man of van Persie’s calibre.