Walters penalty sinks arsenal

Arsenal lost ground in the Premier League title race as Jon Walters’ 76th-minute penalty gave hosts Stoke a 1-0 win on Saturday. With
Chelsea winning 3-1 at Fulham, the Gunners are now four points behind their London rivals at the top of the table with 10 rounds remaining this season. The Potters’ victory, only their second in 11 league games, saw Mark Hughes’ men hit the 30-point mark and they are now 12th, six points above the drop zone. They have also beaten Chelsea and Manchester United on home turf in the space of the last three months. Glenn Whelan forced a fine save from Wojciech Szczesny at the end of what was otherwise a dull first half. The second period was hardly full of incident either, until Walters toed the ball skywards on the edge of the area and Laurent Koscielny handled. Referee Mike Jones pointed to the spot and Walters sent Szczesny the wrong way.