Stoke City
Jack Butland – 6: Made a mistake early in the match, but responded well. Did not have much to throughout the night.
Glen Johnson – 7: Neutralised Montero, making four successful tackles on the playmaker. Also linked up well with the attack.
Geoff Cameron – 8: A steady presence in the heart of defence, making four clearances from his own box and keeping Gomis at bay.
Philipp Wollscheid – 8: Ably supported his defensive partner, with four clearances and helped cut out the Gomis threat.
Erik Pieters – 6.5: Made some decent runs forward and did enough to keep Barrow quiet.
Charlie Adam – 7: A calm and well composed midfield display, keeping Ayew out of the match while also distributing the ball with aplomb.
Glenn Whelan – 7.5: Tireless worker in the second half, who did a great job helping Johnson negate the effect of Montero.
Xherdan Shaqiri – 7: Showed signs of his attacking brilliance, creating three chances and always looking a threat.
Bojan Krkic – 7.5: Won the penalty, converted it with ease and worked for his teammates defensively when Stoke decided to close the game out.
Marko Arnautovic – 8: One of the best players on the pitch, continually giving Rangel and Fernandez headaches with his expert dribbling.
Joselu – 6: Operated mostly as a ‘false nine’, held the ball up well but didn’t pose much of a goal threat.
Substitutions:
Marco van Ginkel – 5: Brought on to preserve the lead, guarded space and did enough to help retain a clean sheet.
Ibrahim Afellay – 3: Never received the ball in attacking positions and was largely anonymous during his time on the field.
Stephen Ireland – N/A: Not enough time on the pitch.
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