Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal vs Stoke City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - April 1, 2018 Stoke City's Ramadan Sobhi in action with Arsenal's Shkodran Mustafi Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

‘A joke’, ‘Is he going for a record?’ – Arsenal fans fume at one man’s first half v Stoke

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Sun 1 April 2018 13:18, UK

Arsenal fans were left fuming over the first half performance of Shkodran Mustafi in their home clash against Stoke City on Sunday.

The Gunners welcomed the Premier League’s second bottom-placed side to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, hopeful of bagging all three points, and with no wins for Stoke in their last five league outings, the Gunners looked strong favourites despite their own up and down run of form.

The Potters have disappointed on the field this season and have seen little improvement under the management of Paul Lambert, who came in following the sacking of Mark Hughes.

It was an open start from the visitors who looked bright, particularly Xherdan Shaqiri, against an Arsenal starting XI who were sloppy in possession, seemingly unable to string a number of passes together.

With a quarter-final showdown coming up against CSKA Moscow on Thursday, it looked all the world as though the Gunners had half an eye on their upcoming European adventure.

But Arsenal supporters reacted to their side’s lacklustre start to the game by hammering centre-back Mustafi, whose passing went awry on a number of occasions.

The 25-year-old German international looked cagey at the back and gave the ball away, even when at times there was no pressure on him, leading to moans and jeers from a disenchanted and depleted Emirates crowd.