In the run up to this match, I saw Betfair offering 7-2 on a home win. As betting should be about the likelihood of something happening weighed up against the odds offered, without any hint of emotion, I put £10 on a Stoke victory. It was money I would have been delighted to lose. I regretted not being organised enough to back Man City in the Carling Cup quarter final against Arsenal in December.

So I’m £35 better off this morning, rather than the preferred tenner down. Whether Arsène Wenger’s decision to field a team largely consisting of reserves and second stringers was justified will be decided in May. Should his team fail to land a trophy, then it will be remembered that this was a competition with Chelsea as the only surviving ‘big four’ club in the last 16.

Arsenal played as well as their opponents for parts of the 4th Round tie yesterday, which is to damn them with pretty feint praise. Ultimately they were caught out by defensive naivety in the full back positions, presumably under instructions to win or lose but not draw. Hence the bombing on of Traore and Eastmond that led to Stoke’s two goals towards the end of the game. Denilson’s attempts to cut out the cross that led to the Potters’ second goal were in turns laughable, embarrassing and humiliating. Committed certainly isn’t a word that comes to mind. That moment should be the death knell of his Arsenal career, but he was probably taking his cue from the manager. I’ve no need to make any comment about the defending for Stoke’s opening goal.

Wenger claimed he was fielding a team that was good enough to win the game. That’s one for debate, but he can’t seriously claim to take the competition seriously or that it means anything to him other than the opportunity to give either match fitness or experience to players who don’t start league matches. He would have been aware that Burnley were knocked out the day before, leaving the scheduled Premier League game on March 6th able to go ahead without any FA Cup quarter final hindrance. There’s also a nice free weekend before the away leg at Porto.

If Arsenal gain six points from their next two matches, many will consider the sacrifice of the FA Cup worthwhile. If they win the Premier League or the European Cup, then there will be no debate. If, if. If Arsenal had won a domestic knockout trophy in the past four seasons there would be a lot less disillusioned Gooners.

The FA Cup debate will go on as long as Wenger remains in charge at the club. Whether the Arsenal fans continue to attend away ties in the numbers that they did at Stoke yesterday, I’m not so sure. In 2008, a largely uncommitted mix and match selection were deposited out of the FA Cup at Manchester United. The club failed to win any of their subsequent five Premier League fixtures. Let us hope that the easiest £35 I ever made does not lead to history repeating itself. Momentum is everything in football. Would be a shame to lose it now.