eplmatches.com

10 men Stoke beat a disappointing Manchester City. James Beattie Scored the goal in the first half itself. Stoke had Rory Delap sent off but still managed to win the match.

1-0 J.Beattie 45′

Stoke were reduced to 10 men when Rory Delap was sent off for kicking out at Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Beattie gave the home side the lead when he headed home a Matthew Etherington deep cross.

City had the vast majority of possession but had only one shot on target throughout the whole match.

Before kick-off Stoke manager Tony Pulis had referred to the threat his side posed if they played to their strengths, namely grit and hard work.

With City counterpart Mark Hughes acknowledging an improvement in his side of late but also highlighting the tendency of opposing sides to raise themselves against the newly enriched Blues, the match was set as a contest between graft and guile.

This proved the case from the very first action of the match. Stoke launched the kick-off in the direction of their physically imposing forward line, sparking a keenly-contested clash to which the visitors responded by claiming possession and looking to build patiently.

THIS SEASON’S REVERSE FIXTURE

Manchester City 3-0 Stoke City
26 October 2008 – Ref: Steve Tanner
Man City scorers: Robinho 14, 47, 72

REFEREE

Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire)