Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has declared that his side can take plenty of positives from their defensive performance against Stoke City last weekend.

The Gunners kept their first clean sheet since December in the 1-0 win over Stoke to gain ground on Tottenham Hotspur and Everton in the race for a Champions League spot.

Szczesny believes that his defence dealt with the Potters' aerial threat decisively and wants a repeat performance against Sunderland next weekend.

He told the club's official website: "When Stoke come to the Emirates, you know they will play long ball and will not create a lot of chances. But it is all about winning the first and second balls at the back and we did that.

"We dominated Peter Crouch and Jon Walters so they never got going. They never had a chance to get anywhere near me.

"It was vital for us to keep a clean sheet because we hadn't kept one for quite a few games. I am quite happy with it, and we didn't really concede many chances, which is a positive. I hope we can repeat that next week."

Arsene Wenger's side are currently four points behind Spurs in the final Champions League qualification spot with 13 games remaining.