Reaction from the bet365 Stadium as Stoke City slipped to defeat against West Bromwich Albion
Three goals, two shots on goal, a goalline clearance, one fairly interesting Championship game (at least in the first half), and plenty of frustration for Stoke City.
West Bromwich Albion defeated Stoke 2-1 at the bet365 Stadium, due to Karlan Grant’s close-range finish and a nice goal from former Potter Josh Maja, either side of Lewis Koumas’ well-taken shot.
Stoke were punishing themselves for their first-half defense, but they could have easily equalised if Koumas hadn’t hit the woodwork twice. West Brom should have added another, but Eric Bocat saved a Tom Fellows shot from below his own bar.
It’s Steven Schumacher’s second defeat in a row, and he now faces tough journeys to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup and Plymouth to try to gain points back on the board – and it’s also the last few days of the transfer market.
Albion scored first in a frantic first half. There had been a few of warnings at corners as Kyle Bartley threw his weight around, before the breakthrough in the 18th minute. Tchamadeu couldn’t stop a cross from the right, and when it was cleared, Gooch couldn’t stop it from coming back in from the left. Tom Fellows stood up a little higher than Viktor Johansson, and Grant was there to beat Tchamadeu at the back post.
It appeared to stir Stoke up a little, but it should and should have been 2-0 in the 26th minute, when Thompson was outmuscled in the middle and Albion broke fast and in numbers. Fellows got one-on-one with Johansson, and his shot beat him, but Bocat swept the ball away. The rebound landed invitingly for John Swift, but Ben Gibson rushed in to make a crucial stop.
It appeared to be a vital moment, since Stoke were level within a few minutes. Manhoef attacked his man down the right before slipping a lovely pass behind the back line for Koumas, who had made a great move down the inside right and helped the ball on its way.
When the visitors returned to the front, the celebrations continued. Gooch was unable to intercept a wide pass to Fellows or prevent the subsequent ball slipping back to Maja for a brilliant finish from 25 yards.
Within a few minutes, Laurent had won the ball high up and slipped a pass for Koumas to go behind the defence again and bend a shot beyond Palmer but onto the far post. Manhoef was rushing in to get the rebound, but the bounce was high, and his shot went over the bar rather than into the open net.
The second half was less spectacular, but Stoke thought they had leveled when they won the ball high up the pitch and Moran found Koumas in the box to slip a shot past Palmer but onto the post, and it was evident at that point that it was not going to be their day.
Here are the players’ ratings from the bet365 Stadium.
Johansson: Will be hating himself for allowing Fellows’ cross to glide past his head for the first goal. 4.5
Tchamadeu has switched to wing-back. Couldn’t stop crosses from the right, but sprinted down the wing and made passes into the box. 4.5
Gooch plays left wing-back this time. Big work against Fellows, and we couldn’t block the cross for the opener. The right-back position appeared to be more comfortable. 4.5
Bocat plays as the left center-back in a three-man defence. Important clearance off the line in the first half. A burst of skill, but mostly limited to defensive actions. 6
Wilmot: At times, he appeared frustrated. He always tried to be on the front foot when defending and got into offensive situations, especially in the second half. 6
Gibson: Big block to halt John Swift, despite having lost his runner. I followed Josh Maja deeper at times but couldn’t stop the second goal. 5.5
Thompson: Some useful pressing at times, but was dismissed too lightly on the route to the Fellows opportunity. 5.5
Laurent attempted to slip behind the Albion press when Stoke broke. Nice pass through as Koumas hits the post. 6
Junho: After taking on a larger role, not everything went as planned. He still appears to be approaching maximum speed. 6
Manhoef: Excellent assist for Koumas, and I still can’t believe he didn’t score after Koumas hit the post. 6.5
Koumas: One well-taken goal and two attempts against the post in a spirited performance where he demonstrated speed.
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