It was not so long ago that a picture of three Arsenal players wearing head-guards and rugby shirts holding a sign reading, ‘Ready for Stoke’ went viral on social-networking sites.

That photograph turned out to have been doctored but the idea that Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla would dismiss

a match at the Britannia on such terms was credible.

At Villa Park on Sunday, there were moments from Mark Hughes’s team that would only have earned admiration from the trio and, indeed, the wider football world.

Stoke picked Aston Villa apart with incisive passing moves and individual skill to make what their

manager called a ‘statement’ performance, both in terms of style and result.

Goals from Peter Odemwingie, Peter Crouch, Steven Nzonzi and Geoff Cameron wiped out Christian Benteke’s early opener as Stoke scored four away from home for the first time in the Barclays Premier League.

Make no mistake, the defending from Paul Lambert’s side was woeful. Crouch gave Nathan Baker a particularly torrid time, while Marko Arnautovic had the beating of Leandro Bacuna. But credit should go to the visitors. Nzonzi’s goal in particular, to make the score 3-1, came at the end of a one-touch move that left the away section greeting each pass with an ‘Ole’.

‘It’s the best we’ve played away,’ said Hughes. ‘The third goal was something like 18, 19 passes before the ball was in the back of the net.

‘Maybe people will sit up and take notice. It was something of a statement from us. We’re happy people are noticing there is a bit of a change. We have seven games to kick on and finish in style.’

Stoke leapfrogged Villa into 10th, which all but confirms their Premier League status for a seventh consecutive season.Lambert will still have to pay attention to what is happening below.

Villa started well and took the lead in the fifth minute. Ryan Bertrand fed Fabian Delph, who spun Cameron and slid a cross to Benteke that he controlled before firing in.

But while Delph’s solitary goal against Chelsea had been sufficient, it never looked enough here. Suddenly a Villa defence that had shackled Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar was unable to handle Stoke’s attack.

Odemwingie equalised on 22 minutes, collecting Crouch’s knockdown and finishing smartly beyond Brad Guzan. Villa claimed handball but replays showed the Nigerian had controlled the ball with a shoulder.

Four minutes later, Arnautovic played a back-heel down the line and Erik Pieters outmuscled Andreas Weimann before squaring to Crouch, who shot into the corner.

Charlie Adam later backed an England recall for his team-mate. ‘Certainly he’s an international-class player, he’s proved that,’ said Hughes.

On the half-hour Lambert was forced into a double substitution with Weimann suffering from a dead leg and Karim El Ahmadi picking up a thigh injury. Villa never recovered.

Three minutes before the interval N’Zonzi steered a beautiful effort beyond Guzan after that patient build-up play and the match was effectively done.

Stoke played on the counter in the second period to frustrate Villa into picking up five bookings, which should see an FA fine, and then sealed the win in the final minute thanks to Arnautovic befuddling Bacuna and pulling the ball back for Cameron to slam home.

‘We never defended well at all,’ conceded Lambert. ‘It looked lethargic and was unlike us.’

—Daily Mail