Arsenal gained the victory they needed to take full advantage of Chelsea's defeat earlier in the day, and move to within three points of the league leaders, but their celebrations were muted after a serious injury sustained by Aaron Ramsey, who was carried off after an incident that evoked horrible memories of Eduardo's compound fracture at Birmingham in 2008.

Ryan Shawcross was sent off for the challenge, and left the pitch visibly sickened by what he had done. To their credit, Arsenal recovered from the shock sufficiently to score twice at the death, with a penalty from Cesc Fábregas and a tap-in from Thomas Vermaelen.

It was a toss up which side came into the game with higher morale – Stoke unbeaten in 2010 or Arsenal, who had thrust themselves back into title contention with successive victories.

Tony Pulis came down on the side of boldness, recalling Abdou Faye and Andy Wilkinson in defence after suspension in the strongest available line-up. Injuries denied Arsenal important players in Andrey Arshavin, William Gallas, Robin Van Persie and Abou Diaby, creating a starting place for Sol Campbell but not for Theo Walcott, who was again on the bench, as was Eduardo, who is still short of match fitness.

One would have thought they must have practiced ways of countering Rory Delap's threat all week, but if they had, it was to no avail. Just seven minutes had elapsed when Delap hurled the ball in from the right and Shawcross got to it ahead of Bacary Sagna, redirecting it to the far post, where Danny Pugh headed home at perfunctory range. How the home crowd loved that, taunting Arsène Wenger, who has been critical of Stoke's methods, with choruses of: "We only score from our throw-ins."

Pulis won't apologise for any of that of course, nor does he need to, having devised an uncommonly effective use of limited resources. The goal gave his team a lift, and the initiative, putting Arsenal on the back foot, and the game was 25 minutes old before Fábregas produced their first strike at goal, from distance.

It met with no success, but it did spark Arsenal into action, and after 31 minutes they drew level, Nicolas Bendtner bisecting the centre-halves to get to Fábregas's right-wing cross and score with a towering header from 10 yards. Thomas Sorensen was left with no chance, the ball beating him high to his left.

Arsenal thought they should have had a penalty four minutes into the second half when Ramsey, after receiving a short through pass from Fábregas, toppled 12 yards out under Faye's challenge. The referee concluded, not unreasonably, that the defender had hustled for possession legitimately and that the Welshman had fallen unnecessarily.

After Stoke's assertive start, the initiative had changed sides, with Fábregas increasingly influential, and just short of the hour mark Sorensen was happy to touch over Emmanuel Eboué's thunderous drive from the edge of the area.

Arsenal's economical, progressive passing was testing the stamina of their opponents who had battled for two hours in their midweek FA Cup replay defeat of Manchester City and Danny Collins was introduced from the bench on the hour.

Stoke still had their moments, notably when Almunia dropped another Exocet from Delap, and the match was boiling towards an intriguing climax when the appetite for it was dulled by Ramsey's horrible injury. Such was its seriousness that at least two players were ill on the pitch and it was five minutes before the young midfielder could be carried off, to be replaced by Tomas Rosicky.

Inevitably the atmosphere changed – and not for the better. The Arsenal fans called the opposition "scum", while the home crowd lionised Shawcross by chanting his name.

Stoke were consigned to their first defeat in 12 games when a handball by Pugh allowed Fábregas to score from the spot in the 90th minute and Sorensen's failure to hold Rosicky's shot enabled Thomas Vermaelen to make it 3-1 in added time.

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

Chris Baldwin, Stoke.VitalFootball.co.uk I was too far away from the Shawcross incident to judge, but from where I was there certainly didn't seem to be any malice in the tackle on Ramsey. Both went in hard, though, and the outcome ruined the game. We had been defending well and at 1-1 had more than a chance to get something. Up front we had a problem with Fuller and Sidibé, neither of whom looked switched on, probably as a result of their midweek exertions. Arsenal struggled with Delap's throws – you would have thought they would have known what to expect. The penalty looked a bit harsh. I saw the arm go up and I suppose on that score I can't have too many complaints.

The fan's player ratings Sorensen 7; Wilkinson 7, Shawcross 5, Faye 6 (Collins 60 6), Huth 7; Delap 7, Whitehead 7 (Lawrence 77 6), Whelan 7, Pugh 7; Sidibé 6, Fuller 6 (Tuncay 80 6)

Toby Moses, Observer reader I've got nothing against the physical side of the game, but questions need to be asked about where to draw the line with the old 'Arsenal don't like it up 'em' mantra that teams trot out. By all means go in hard and fair, but it shouldn't mean clubs have a free pass to kick us all over the pitch. Maybe if the refs cracked down, players like Shawcross wouldn't imagine they can get away with a tackle that has left a fantastically talented, British, teenager's career in jeopardy. Three time in the space of a few years doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. Frankly the result pales into insignificance.

The fan's player ratings Almunia 6; Sagna 7, Vermaelen 7, Campbell 7, Clichy 7; Song 7; Eboué 7 (Walcott 75 n/a), Fábregas 8, Ramsey 8, (Rosicky 69 7), Nasri 7 (Eduardo 83 n/a); Bendtner 8

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