Stoke take 1-0 lead from the spot after Xhaka elbow (Video)

Charlie Adam gave Stoke a 1-0 lead against Arsenal from the penalty spot after Granit Xhaka elbowed Joe Allen in the area.

Arsenal came into their match against Stoke knowing a two-goal win would give them the Premier League lead, at least until Chelsea play West Brom on Sunday.

Stoke started the match well, but the Gunners looked much more likely to open the scoring until referee Lee Mason awarded the Potters a controversial penalty as the result of a coming together between Joe Allen and Granit Xhaka.

The Arsenal midfielder appeared to tackle Allen cleanly, but caught him with an elbow on the follow through. Charlie Adam scored the penalty low to Petr Cech’s left.

Stoke will move into sixth with a win, pushing Manchester United, who play Tottenham at Old Trafford tomorrow, down to seventh. The Potters have been in excellent form recently after a very slow start the season. Marko Arnautovic, Xherdan Shaqiri and Joe Allen have given them a new dimension in attack, while Bruno Martins Indi has helped stabilize the defense.

Arsenal have been in excellent form themselves, and came into this match on the back of a comprehensive 5-1 win against West Ham. Alexis Sanchez, who scored a hat-trick against the Hammers, has been quiet in the opening exchanges against Stoke.

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The Gunners’ best chance came through Theo Walcott, who drilled his shot straight at Lee Grant after being played through by Shkodran Mustafi. The German midfielder was forced off with an injury midway through the first half. As Arsenal push for an equalizer, Stoke will hope to exploit the home side’s reshuffled back line on the break.