Stoke City defeated Newcastle United 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium early this morning, courtesy of a single goal from Xherdan Shaqiri.
The first-half saw clear-cut chances hard to come by, with typical Stoke-like weather taking its toll on proceedings.
Surprisingly it was the visitors who started the second-half on the front foot, however, a lack of efficiency in the final-third prevented them from scoring a much needed goal.
The key moment arrived on 80 minutes when Shaqiri, afforded slightly too much time on the ball, rocketed his effort from outside the box into the back of the net.
This forced the Magpies to come out of their shell to try force a point, and they came agonisingly close to an equaliser in injury time when a header from substitute Seydou Doumbia forced a superb outstretched save from Jack Butland.
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One moment of brilliance decides it
This match will not be one for the ages, and at times it looked like it was destined for a dull goalless draw – enter Shaqiri. The former Bayern Munich man surprised many when he signed for the Potters last August, and he has proven on many occasions this season that he can be the difference between one point and three for Mark Hughes’ side.
Against Newcastle, Stoke found it difficult to break down a stubborn defence, which is why it was going to take something special to find a goal. Shaqiri latched on to a pass from Meme Biram Diouf and unleashed an unstoppable shot past Elliot. 89 minutes of dull football was outdone by one moment of individual brilliance from the Swiss maestro.
Time is an enemy for the Toon
After this defeat, the Magpies remain in the bottom three and although it is only on goal difference, fans are now anxiously looking at their fixtures to try map out how they can reach 40 points. They have 11 matches to save themselves, one more than their relegation rivals who have 10. The defeat at Stoke is a crushing blow after it looked like they would at least get a point, but their destiny still remains in their own hands as they have four matches at home against bottom seven teams (Bournemouth, Sunderland, Swansea City and Crystal Palace) as well as away fixtures at Norwich City and Aston Villa. Nothing less than maximum points will be acceptable from those crucial fixtures, as this club seeks to avoid a repeat of the 2008-09 relegation season.
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Can Stoke make a late push for European football?
Three wins on the bounce has lifted the Potters up to seventh in the table, in what is becoming their best season in the Premier League since their promotion in 2008. They sit five points behind Manchester City in fourth, although Champions League qualification might seem like a bridge too far. This does not mean they can not make the Europa League though. They are hot on the tail of West Ham in sixth and all they can do at this stage is keep winning and hope for a slip up. A big test awaits this Saturday at Stamford Bridge against a resurgent Chelsea. They have beaten lowly Aston Villa and Newcastle, now it is time to show they can win away to the big teams.
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