Stoke City: Match statistics
STOKE CITY 1 (Beattie 45)
MANCHESTER CITY 0
GOAL ATTEMPTS
Stoke: 7 (4 on target)
Man City: 13 (5 on target)
THE CROWD
Attendance: 27,236
THE REFEREE
M Atkinson (Yorks) 5
CARD WATCH
YELLOW: Stoke – Wilkinson (foul, 89). Man City – Elano (foul, 56). RED: Stoke – Delap (serious foul play, 39).
MATCH RATING
Entertainment: 8
PLAYER RATINGS
SORENSEN: Mercifully few shots to save, but took the pressure off his defenders whenever possible 7
WILKINSON: Terrific concentration and composure to ensure superb decision-making would accompany typically forthright approach 8
PUGH: Gave as good as he got at left-back and in midfield during a pretty sensible and tidy performance 8
AB FAYE: Read the game superbly at almost every juncture to squeeze space and block shots 8
SHAWCROSS: Arguably his team's best player after standing tall and strong in just about every situation 8
DELAP: His usual self and unleashing plenty of throws until uncharacteristically losing his head by taking law into his own hands 6
WHELAN: Excellent cover in front of his back four throughout a fraught second half 8
AM FAYE: Several interceptions in the second half as he covered plenty of acreage and made his tackles before his early departure 7
ETHERINGTON: Constant threat down the left, not least when crossing for the goal, and ran himself into the ground for the cause 8
BEATTIE: Finished with ruthless quality to provide the icing on a workmanlike display behind the front man, out right or eventually through the middle on his own 8
FULLER: Enjoyed a decent reception on his return and produced the occasional flash of his best before injury and circumstances confined him to the dressing room 7
SUBSTITUTES
CRESSWELL (for Fuller, 46): Just the man for the job in the second half as he chased, harried and challenged to buy time for those behind him 7
GRIFFIN (for Am Faye, 78): Solid and well-timed tackling towards the death, but maybe enjoyed some luck on the penalty decision after late tangle with Richards 7
SONKO (for Etherington, 86): Slotted into a five-man defence towards the end 7
Not used: Simonsen, Olofinjana, Lawrence, Kitson.
MANCHESTER CITY: 1 Hart, 2 Richards, 25 Bridge, 4 Onouha, 33 Kompany, 5 Zabaleta, 34 De Jong, 7 Ireland, 8 Wright-Phillips, 10 Robinho, 39 Bellamy. Substitutes: 11 Elano (for Zabaleta, 55), 20 Caicedo (for De Jong, 72). Not used: 16 Schmeichel, 12 Vassell, 14 Jo, 15 Garrido, 19 Fernandes.
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