Petr Čech kept his 13th clean sheet in all competitions with an excellent display to win Arsenal another point away at the Britannia.

The 33-year-old has proven his world-class quality on a number of occasions since the summer switch from rivals Chelsea, and already established himself as a fan favourite with consistent displays helping keep opponents at bay.

As the last line of defence, especially in game-changing situations, he exudes both confidence and quality. Something that couldn’t really be said for Wojciech Szczesny in previous seasons, irrespective of his undeniable shot-stopping ability.

In comparison, although Čech is better, he’s also more of a reliable figure for the backline as a whole. Against a physical Stoke side who were tough to break down, you could tell that he was trusted to deal with danger whenever the hosts found themselves in the final third.

He had to be alert and maintained a high level of concentration throughout, denying Joselu once in either half, as well as pulling off an excellent double save to thwart Bojan from breaking the deadlock after finding himself through on-goal in a counter-attacking move.

The initial stop was low to his right, but he showed quick reactions to anticipate a rebound and parry away for a corner-kick from close-range.

Then as legs began to tire and both sides looked in search of a late winner, he was reliable again and kept the Stoke attackers at bay once more. A dangerous delivery fizzed into the area, but he remained solid and punched the ball to safety.

A set-piece was drilled deep into the box, and after a goal-line clearance from Aaron Ramsey, Čech was forced into another smart stop with his feet to scamper the ball clear.

Winning the Man of the Match award for his overall display, the highlight reel continues to lengthen as Čech’s performances with us have remained consistent and helped to strengthen the bond between the backline.