text: Jack Wilshere has moved a step closer to recovery from the serious ankle injury that has wrecked his season after completing 90 minutes for Arsenal’s under 21 side. The England midfielder came through the 4-1 win over Stoke City unscathed as he pushes for a return to Arsene Wenger’s first team before the end of the campaign. He was joined by Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby, recovering from ankle and calf injuries respectively, in the Under 21 Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium. Jack Wilshere moved a step closer to recovery from the serious ankle injury after 90 minutes for the U21 side . Wilshere tries to cut inside of Stoke's Ollie Shenton during the match in the U21 Premier League . Alex Iwobi stole the show with a hat-trick for Arsenal at the Emirates alongside a few of their senior stars . Hat-trick hero Iwobi is capped for England’s youth teams but likely to play for Nigeria . Arsenal Under 21: Deyan Iliev; Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Stefan O’Connor, Krystian Bielik, Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, Abou Diaby (Julio Pleguezuelo 71), Mikel Arteta (c) (Stephy Mavididi 60), Serge Gnabry, Jack Wilshere, Daniel Crowley, Alex Iwobi . Substitutes not used: Ryan Huddart (GK); George Dobson, Gedion Zelalem . Scorers: Iwobi 23, 40, 90+2; Mavididi 73 . Stoke City Under 21: Daniel Gyollai; Johnville Pringle, Liam Edwards, Mason Watkins-Clarke (Ryan O’Reilly 61), Ben Barber, Yusuf Coban (Robbie Parry 66), Charlie Ward (c), Ollie Robert (Danny Jarvis 71), Joel Taylor, Nathan Ricketts-Hopkinson, Ollie Shenton . Substitutes not used: Dominic Kurasik (GK); Tom Adeloye . Scorer: Shenton 8 . Referee: Anthony Da Costa . Attendance: 2,674 . Wilshere has been out of action since suffering the injury in the 2-1 home defeat by Manchester United on November 22 but is finally nearing full fitness. It has been the latest in a succession of injury problems that have hampered his development into the world class player he was expected to become for club and country. Having made a return to action in a reserve friendly with Brentford last week, this was a step up in quality for Wilshere and he exerted a quiet influence without taking a hold on the game. He saw a free-kick 25 yards from goal deflected just over the crossbar early on and initiated a move later in the first-half that culminated in Serge Gnabry firing a snapshot on the turn that was saved the legs of Stoke goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai. Wilshere might have capped his night with a goal but his improvised volley from a Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill cross was saved before Stephy Mavididi slammed home the rebound for Arsenal’s third on 73 minutes. Arteta, who has been on the sidelines since the Champions League game with Borussia Dortmund on November 26, captained the team but failed to make much of an impact during his hour of involvement. Diaby, whose never-ending succession of injuries has seen him absent for an astonishing 226 weeks of his Arsenal career, was arguably their most influential performer as he fights for a new contract. Mikel Arteta was among the players as he stepped up his recovery from an ankle injury . Wilshere runs with the ball during the U21 Premier League match on Tuesday night at the Emirates . With his runs through the centre of midfield, Diaby caused plenty of problems for the Stoke defence and he had two opportunities to get on the scoresheet in his 70 minutes of action. On 17 minutes, a lovely through ball from Gnabry set him clear inside the box but a last-ditch tackle ruined everything and, shortly afterwards, he curled a shot a fraction over the bar from the edge of the area. With the first-teamers mis-firing, it was left to Alex Iwobi to make an impression with two clinical first-half goals that were almost identical and a stoppage time third. On 23 minutes, Iwobi, who is capped for England’s youth teams but likely to play for Nigeria, surged at the Stoke defence, beat two men and fired crisply across the keeper and into the far corner. And he repeated the trick five minutes before the break, locating the same corner from pretty much the same position after latching on to Diaby’s slide-rule pass. Abou Diaby of Arsenal pictured shooting during the match between Arsenal U21 and Stoke City U21 . England midfielder Wilshere came through the 4-1 win over Stoke unscathed on Tuesday night . Arsenal had started on the back foot and fell behind eight minutes in when the highly-rated Ollie Shenton was gifted the simplest of close-range finishes when goalkeeper Deyan Iliev fumbled a cross from Nathan Ricketts-Hopkinson. But by the time Iwobi completed his hat-trick in stoppage time, Arsenal were in complete control. It was the best of the young striker’s treble as he burst forward at lightning pace and delicately lifted the ball over the keeper. When Arsenal’s senior side have been a First Division team for a century, it seems incongruous to find the under 21s stuck in the second division. But that could soon be rectified. This win kept them in touch with the leading pack and Arsenal retain games in hand on all above them as they seek to claim one of the two promotion places to the top division.
target: Jack Wilshere played 90 minutes for Arsenal's Under 21 side .
  Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby also played at the Emirates against Stoke .
  Wilshere has been recovering from a serious ankle injury .