The Britannia Stadium lay witness to a breathtaking display of goalkeeping from Jack Buland and Petr Cech as Stoke City held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw, gaining momentum heading into a difficult spell of fixtures.
It was clear that the absent Mesut Ozil from the Arsenal side diminshed much of the away side's creative flair, but the attacking display of the home side was a positive showing with hopes of a top-four challenge still lingering.
Arsene Wenger's men had the better of the chances to seal victory, as Olivier Giroud found himself through on goal early on but a confident save from Butland denied him as the 22-year-old was a constant roadblock for the striker as he saving his side from a demoralising defeat.
Stoke battled nobly and took the game to the Gunners with their best chance coming mid-way through the second half as Joselu shot from the edge of the box which was parried by Cech, Bojan Krikic followed up but again the keeper pushed the ball away from a tight angle.
The draw meant Stoke missed out on the chance to move level on points with West Ham United in seventh - while Arsenal traded places with Leicester City to sit at the top of the table.
Jack Butland, Man of the Match
The match was billed as part of 'Super-Sunday' but the lack of goals in a match that based on recent performances promised more, reduced the fixture to a mundane affair.
The two goalkeepers were both exceptions to the ruling, as their performances again highlighted how important a top shot stopper can be in top flight football.
Wenger and the rest of Premier League were already aware of the ability that Cech possessed upon signing from Chelsea in the summer, and his performances this season have already demonstrated it was money well spent.
Butland was left with much to prove following the departure of Asmir Begovic, the young keeper had little Premier League experience but has stepped up this season to become a real presence and leader in the Stoke side this season.
Shutting out Giroud and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is no mediocre achievement, the 22-year-old did well to keep out an in-form Arsenal attack that put three past Liverpool on Wednesday and claim his sixth league clean sheet this season.
Butland has made a total of 81 saves this season - more than any other goalkeeper and he continued his impressive form by denying Arsenal of three of their chances on target as the England goalkeeper remained alert in a contest that his side on paper should have lost.
With Stoke being praised recently for their attacking prowess, it is refreshing to see their defensive duties being acknowledged with much of the plaudits going to Mark Hughes and the creative style he has injected into his team.
Lack of Ozil, lack of flair?
Arsenal have already stamped their mark on the 2015/2016 Premier League season, sitting top of the league after 22 games and much of that mark comes from creative midfielder Mesut Ozil who was absent today due to a foot injury leaving Arsenal without their talisman.
The Gunners were not left exposed, as they had a reliable back-up in Oxlade Chamberlain to fill in for the absent German. With big boots to fill Chamberlain failed to ignite his team mates effectively blowing his first real opportunity to prove he can step up to the plate.
He took his time settling into the match, testing the water before really trying to make an impact on the match but midway through the first half he forced Butland into a difficult save, earning a corner in the process.
It is likely that Ozil will be given an extended break as Wenger will be extremely reluctant to play his star-man and risk him aggravating his injury, so with that in mind Arsenal's no.15 will need to create more as he only managed one key pass throughout the match before being substituted in stoppage time.
Chamberlain was not alone in his lethargic performance as other key players such as Giroud and Theo Walcott also failed to create make a lasting impact on the draw, that come the end of the season may prove costly.
Stepping stone result
With a difficult set of fixtures facing the Potters in the next few weeks, a draw against a very strong Arsenal side should be viewed as a point gained rather than two lost.
The gradual increase on attack that has been put in place by manager Hughes throughout the past few months has culminated into his side being able to match one of the most offensive focussed sides in the league.
The home side actually registered nearly double the amount of shots that the Gunner's could manage, with a total of fourteen compared to the away side's eight. Stoke were clinical in their chances with eight making it on target while Arsenal could only manage three in which Jack Butland denied on all occasions.
Mark Hughes should be pleased with the result that sees his side sit just six points away from a Champions League place, the dream of a place in Europe is close to becoming a reality that many fans believed was just fantasy but under Hughes it has now become a legitimate prospect.
With difficult fixtures remaining, starting with a trip to Leicester next Saturday, Hughes will be hoping the draw has galvanized his side to push on through the vigirious make-or-break 19 days.
