by Martin Spinks

ROBINHO swaggered down Coronation Street yesterday after being crowned as a prolific, match-winning goalscorer for the first time in his English career.

And to think some of us thought it an opportune time to confront Manchester City, before their potentially multi-million pound spending spree in January.

Sadly for Stoke, the man smuggled into Manchester on transfer deadline day two months ago chose yesterday's fixture to announce his arrival with his biggest headline act yet.

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Stoke were unwitting victims as Robinho truly came of age as a goalscoring Premier League star to ruthlessly keep the visitors at arm's length.

Tony Pulis must now dust down his players for bigger battles ahead against opposition decorated with slightly fewer attacking gems than Man City were able to unleash so damagingly yesterday.

True, there were defensive errors facilitating Stoke's sixth defeat of the season – and costly ones at that – but they were more forgivable than most coming, as they did, against a potentially world-class performer sensing blood from the very start.

His goalscoring was not a dazzling display of individual and outrageous brilliance, simply a masterclass in finding space without the ball ... and the corner of the net with it.

His presence was fatal for a Stoke side forced to attack at the other end without the same pace, flair and finishing with which Robinho and company were able to demonstrate to a home crowd ushering in a rather comfortable victory in the end.

A 1-0 half-time deficit was within range of Stoke's typically courageous efforts, but a two-goal arrears shortly after the break effectively killed all realistic hope of making Manchester sweat for their points on a landmark occasion for the home side.

The 100th league game at the City of Manchester Stadium, City's home since 2003, began with Robinho soon firing a deafening hint of what would follow after stretching the visitors on the break before unleashing an angled drive that Thomas Sorensen did superbly to palm over his bar.

Stoke – with Ryan Shawcross back for the injured Ibrahima Sonko and Ricardo Fuller in for the demoted Dave Kitson – provoked slightly less concern in the home side's ranks shortly after when Fuller spun Tal Ben Haim and advanced down the left channel before crossing too awry to trouble Manchester's retreating back line.

And Stoke were back on the offensive again when Shawcross, still upfield from a previous foray, was denied a shooting chance by an outstretched leg after latching on to Danny Higginbotham's lofted delivery into the Manchester area.

Sorensen was having to distinguish himself for a second time with barely 10 minutes on the clock, however, when reading the danger wonderfully well to narrow the angle and smother Elano's attempt after the Brazilian had played a couple of one-twos when trespassing deep into the Stoke box.

But Sorensen was hopelessly exposed in the 14th minute when a ball from the Manchester right caught Stoke floundering as the home side worked the opening for Robinho to clinically deposit his first.

Elano was allowed to meet the cross with a cushioned header down for Ched Evans to then slip the ball left of goal where Robinho, having sneakily crept into space, quickly sized up his options before cracking past Sorensen at his near post.

Manchester's lack of concentration, maybe even a touch of complacency, surfaced a couple of minutes later to gift Stoke half an opening when Ben Haim handed Fuller the ball on the left-hand edge of the area, but his shot through another defender's legs was thwarted by Joe Hart diving low to his left.

The visitors had quickly recaptured their composure after Robinho's breakthrough and, but for an offside flag, might well have levelled as Seyi Olofinjana's immaculate through-ball unleashed Fuller for an illegal run on goal.

The linesman's flag continued to frustrate Stoke at one end, while uncompromising back-to-back tackles from Rory Delap and then Tom Soares epitomised the spirit with which the visitors had played for much of the first half-hour at the other.

Shawcross and Abdoulaye Faye had also settled pretty well as a pair to prevent any further mishap for a Stoke side playing with more confidence than usually seen on their travels.

Their first true sight of goal arrived in Stoke's lap on 34 minutes when Shawcross, rising in a fashion so familiar last season, headed goalwards from a right-wing corner to leave Hart reacting well to shovel the ball round his right-hand post amid some discomfort.

Shawcross then returned to more customary duties to intercept a potentially lethal pass inside a crowded Stoke box after a spell of Manchester possession, leaving the visitors to break upfield for Higginbotham to cross into a penalty area sadly lacking numbers in support for the out-muscled Fuller.

The first period ended promisingly for Stoke as Hart first pawed out a swirling right-wing cross from Andy Griffin, then sank low at his near post to safely pouch Olofinjana's hopeful drive goalwards.

A much cleaner opening befell the willing Fuller when seizing on Mama Sidibe's flick 60 seconds later, but the Jamaican lifted his shot frustratingly over the bar as he fended off Richard Dunne's weighty presence at his rear.

Not for the first time this season, Stoke were ending a half down, but by no means out.

They were sadly seeing stars in their eyes within two minutes of the restart, however, when Griffin's decision to step up to try to catch Robinho offside backfired horribly to gift the Brazilian his second of the afternoon.

Substitute Daniel Sturridge had wormed his way deep into Stoke territory with plenty of red and white shirts at hand, but his slide-rule pass then proved deadly when Griffin stepped out, instead of tracking Robinho, and the little maestro duly guided his free shot across the helpless Sorensen and inside his right-hand post.

The two-goal buffer was hardly a genuine reflection of Stoke's efforts – and any sense of injustice was merely intensified by the referee's worryingly apparent bias towards the home side.

What Stoke didn't need at this stage was Shaun Wright-Phillips turning on the style, but fortunately for the visitors his stabbed effort was straight at Sorensen after the England winger had seized on the goalkeeper's looping clearance with his fist.

A possible exhibition was looming if any Stoke heads drooped and Wright-Phillips, clearly fancying himself now, saw a shot deflected past a post, while Micah Richards swept over with a free shot in front of goal from Manchester's next assault upfield.

Sirens were sounding again as the equally voracious Robinho dazzled infield to unleash a searing drive that would have heralded his hat-trick, before the hour was up, had Sorensen not finger-tipped round his right post.

The bug was catching, for Hart was equally attentive at the other end to turn over Salif Diao's first eye-catching contribution to the game from long-range.

The open and entertaining game many had forecast was now beckoning, it seemed, as Stoke were forced to stand toe-to-toe with the kind of punching power Manchester demonstrated again when Wright-Phillips centred for Robinho's first-time sweep to be saved brilliantly at the second attempt by the faultless Sorensen.

Fuller responded with those balletic feet of his as he twisted and turned down the right channel before crossing for Soares to shoot wide of the near post via a deflection mysteriously overlooked by the referee.

Stoke's gallant cause was injected with new life following the introduction of Kitson and Richard Cresswell, the former soon heading over from a right-wing corner as his side maintained admirable hope and frequent purpose.

But all hope of a comeback went from unlikely to impossible in the 72nd minute when Robinho's infuriating elusiveness and ruthless finishing finally accounted for the visitors.

Danger lurked from the moment Wright-Phillips surged down the middle and, though Higginbotham tackled superbly, the ball broke just inside the box for Sturridge to square instantly for the unmarked Robinho to stroke past the exposed Sorensen.

The big Dane was horribly exposed again when Wright-Phillips streaked clean through two minutes later, but Sorensen underlined his magnificent contribution towards Stoke's endeavours by driving the little man wide and blocking his attempt on goal from a widening angle.

Rain arrived on cue to further dampen Stoke's ire as the name of the game now was to simply avoid the kind of six-goal drubbing inflicted here upon Portsmouth a month earlier.

Higginbotham fired firmly straight at Hart from 15 yards as Stoke gamely sought some consolation, while Kitson's flashing header from Delap's right-wing cross would have broken his scoring duck had it been a yard either side of the Manchester goalkeeper in the 88th minute.

The game was dead, but not Stoke's spirit, as they sought in vain to emulate Robinho's damaging exploits at the other end.

The man himself should have turned goal-maker when intercepting Cresswell's sloppy pass and releasing Stephen Ireland in the closing seconds, but Stoke were justifiably spared the indignity of a heavier defeat by the Irishman's shot over the bar.