Middlesbrough 2-1 Stoke City

 

  A brave Stoke side eventually lost 2-1 to Middlesbrough, after playing over an hour with ten men, following Amdy Faye’s sending off.

  Tony Pulis’ starting line-up was the same as the one for Stoke’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa last Saturday, despite Pulis making ten changes for Stoke’s Carling Cup victory in midweek. Ryan Shawcross was due to start on the bench but dropped out after sustaining an injury in the warm-up, resulting in a late call up for Lewis Buxton.

  The Potters made the better start, with Liam Lawrence firing wide and Seyi Olofinjana blazing over the bar inside the first few minutes. The hosts soon settled into the game though, and should have been ahead on twelve minutes, with Brazilian striker Afonso Alves heading wide of Thomas Sorensen’s goal from six yards out.

  Alves went close again shortly after, but fired his effort from the edge of the area straight at Sorensen, while Stoke went close through fans’ favourite Ricardo Fuller and Amdy Faye. Ten minutes before the break Stoke were down to ten, with Amdy Faye launching a dangerous tackle at Mohamed Shawky outside the Stoke box and being given his marching orders in just his second match for Stoke.

                                         

  From the resulting free-kick the Teesiders were ahead, Alves hitting a peach of a strike into the top corner of Sorensen’s goal with the ‘keeper rooted to the spot, the goal coming during a period when Stoke were on top.

  With a minute left on the first half Stoke had a penalty claim turned down, Fuller claiming to have been tugged down by Robert Huth, only for Mike Dean, who took charge of Stoke’s last Championship game against Leicester in May to wave the appeals away.

  Middlesbrough started the second half the brighter and really should have given themselves a two goal cushion, with Turkish striker Tuncay Sanli blazing over from eight yards out with the goal gaping in front of him. Boro were given an even better chance to double their lead on the hour mark, with Seyi Olofinjana being judged to have tripped Alves inside the Stoke area and a penalty being awarded. It was winger Stewart Downing who passed up the opportunity this time, smashing the ball onto the crossbar which deflected it back as far as the half way line.  Centre Back Leon Cort was arguably Stoke’s best performer, and produced an excellent last ditch tackle to deny Tuncay who was bearing down on goal on 70 minutes.

  Just a minute later Stoke were back on level terms, Liam Lawrence hitting a dangerously whipped cross into the Middlesbrough box from the right wing. Intended target Dave Kitson barged into defender Justin Hoyte, who met the ball and sent it into his own net to the delight of the 2,000 travelling Stokies.

          

  Sorensen showed his class shortly after, denying Alves a second goal with a fine low save to his left, but Middlesbrough did deny Stoke their first ever Premier League away point with just five minuted of normal time remaining. Tuncay fired home after Didier Digard’s mishit shot fell kindly for him and despite the Stoke players protestations that he was offside, the goal stood. Young defender Andy Wilkinson had, in fact played Tuncay onside.

  Boro were able to hold on, and the game finished with the scoreline at 2-1, with the Stoke fans left to speculate on what could have been if it was not for Amdy Faye’s dismissal.

  Stoke can take many positives out of the game though, and were undoubtedly the better team until the sending off. Hopefully the level of performance seen in the first half hour today will be carried forward into future matches.

  Stoke now have a fifteen day break before the next match, at home to Everton on September the 14th.

Stoke team (4:4:2):

                        Sorensen

Griffin(c)  Cort  Abdoulaye Faye  Dickinson

 Lawrence  Olofinjana  Amdy Faye  Delap

                    Kitson  Fuller 

Substitutions: Wilkinson for Dickinson (67), Sidibe for Fuller (74), Cresswell for Kitson (83)

Subs not used: Simonsen, Diao, Whelan, Buxton

Attendance: 27627