A horrific injury to Aaron Ramsey overshadowed an otherwise entertaining game between Stoke City and Arsenal which was won by two late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Vermaelen at the Brittania Stadium.
Danny Pugh put the home side ahead after seven minutes when he nodded home a long throw by Rory Delap. Arsenal got themselves back into the match after 32 minutes though when Nicklas Bendter beat Thomas Sorensen with a superb header.

The game looked destined to end 1-1, but when Pugh handled in the area referee Peter Walton pointed to the spot and Fabregas kept his cool to put the gunners 2-1 infront, before Thomas Vermaelen bundled in from close range to seal the victory.

However the game will be remembered for a terrible injury sustained by Aaron Ramsey midway through the second half after a tackle from Ryan Shawcross. The Stoke defender was sent off for his lunge on the Welshman and with the replay deemed too graphic to show on television, Ramsey looks like he will be out for a long time with a suspected broken leg.

Stoke, who came into this match unbeaten in 2010, attacked the Gunners from the off, and Sol Campbell had to be at his best to cut out Ricardo Fullers through ball to Mamady Sidibe in the opening seconds.

Rory Delap was at the heart of Stoke’s attacking play with his menacing long throw causing Arsenal’s back four all sorts of problems, and he performed another aerial assault to supply the opening goal on seven minutes.

After Alex Song had conceded a throw on the right handside, Delap hurled the ball into the danger area, and after a flick on by Ryan Shawcross, Pugh was left with the simple task of nodding past Manuel Almunia from close range to send the Brittania into raptures.

With Stoke pressing the Gunners all over the pitch, Arsene Wengers flamboyant youngsters were finding it hard to cope with the physical presence of the home side.

Stoke continued to bombard Arsenal’s defence with long balls but Campbell and Thomas Vermaelen were doing well to keep Stoke at bay.

Arsenal’s first real threat on goal came after 25 minutes. Captain Cesc Fabregas tried his luck with a speculative volley from 30 yards which had Thomas Sorensen scrambling down to his right to tip the ball round for a corner.

Tony Pulis’ men seemed happy to soak up Arsenal’s pressure, inviting them to break down their stubborn resistance, but it didn’t go to plan, with the gunners grabbing an equaliser on the half hour.

Surprisingly Stoke struggled to cope with a ball into their box, and after Fabregas picked out Bendtner, the Dane got away from his marker and arrowed a superb looping header into the far corner to level the game.

The match was now being played at a frantic pace, and nearly reached boiling point when Fabregas lunged in at Shawcross. However after the defender made his feelings known to the Spaniard, referee Peter Walton stepped in to calm down the pair and the half ended 1-1.

The second half began as the first half ended, with both sides attacking at any opportunity.

It was Arsenal who were on top, and they should have been given a penalty when Abdoulaye Faye clumsily clattered into the back of Aaron Ramsey, but Peter Walton waved away the Welshman’s appeals to the fury of the Arsenal players.

Emanuel Eboue, the much maligned Arsenal midfielder, was showing his capabilities in this match. Minutes after firing a low cross/shot across the face of goal, the Ivory Coast international unleashed a missile of a shot from 25 yards which Sorensen, despite the ball swerving all over the place, managed to tip over the bar.

Arsenal, boosted from news of Manchester City’s shock win at Stamford Bridge earlier in the day, really took the game to Stoke in the second half looking to close the gap on the league leaders.

However they were dealt a huge blow as Aaron Ramsey suffered a horrific injury after a tackle by Ryan Shawcross just after after hour, which left Ramsey clutching his ankle on the ground.

The scenes were similar to the day when Eduardo was injured at Birmingham City, and with the replay too graphic to show on television, Ramsey is destined for a long spell on the sidelines. The reactions of the players said it all, Arsenal’s players, especially Fabregas and Vermaelen were in complete shock at the severity of the injury sustained by Ramsey.

Shawcross was distraught at what had happened to Ramsey as a result of his tackle, however the referee had no choice but to send off the Stoke defender and after a lengthy stoppage the game continued.

The injury took it’s toll on the game as the intensity seemed to drain out of both sets of players and the game drifted into the last five minutes with neither side creating any clear chances.

It took until the 87th minute for either side to muster up a decent chance when the ball fell to Eduardo inside the penalty area, however the Croatian couldn’t take his opportunity and he smashed the ball wide of Sorensen’s near post.

Arsenal weren’t to be denied though, and they were rewarded a penalty in the 90th minute.

Goalscorer Danny Pugh handled the ball in the box and Paul Walton instantly pointed to the spot. Up stepped Fabregas, who although he had a penalty saved by Sorensen earlier in the season, kept his cool and side-footed the ball into the bottom right hand corner, dedicating his goal to the injured Ramsey in his celebrations.

Arsenal weren’t finished yet though, and Vermaelen bundled in a Bendtner ball across goal, to seal the three points and put Arsenal right back in the title race.