Nine-man Stoke City succumbed to the weight of numbers, defeated 1-0 at him by West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Both teams struggled in their first three games, but it was Stoke City who lacked endeavour after Charlie Adam and Ibrahim Afellay were sent off.
New signing Salomon Rondon finally got his first goal after he met Rickie Lambert’s cross. The Venezuelan is looking to be a replacement for Saido Berahino, who did not take part in the match due to interest from Tottenham.
Stoke City
Jack Butland – 6: Made a few great saves before Rondon scored, but could do little about it. After half time, he did not have much to do.
Glen Johnson – 6: Strong at the back and in attack, always looked to get forward. Replaced by Marc Wilson just after an hour because of injury.
Marc Muniesa – 5: Had a solid performance despite being the player that failed to mark goalscorer Rondon.
Geoff Cameron – 6: Kept opposition players from venturing into the penalty area, even when Stoke had two players sent off. A solid performance and one of the best of the Stoke City defenders.
Erik Pieters – 6: Similarly to Cameron, Pieters also also kept opposition players wide and out of the penalty area. Just what was needed from a defender but nothing more.
Marco van Ginkel – 6: Won some free kicks and had a great work rate. Not his best performance but certainly not his worst.
Ibrahim Afellay – 1: Sent off in the 25th minute because of a silly reaction to Gardiner’s tackle. Undisciplined and did not contribute much before receiving his marching orders.
Charlie Adam – 3: Played okay until joining Afellay in being sent off. A bad tackle and a stomp on Dawson’s foot led to Adam receiving a red card in the 32nd minute.
Glenn Whelan – 7: Delivered some great passes into the forwards but Stoke could not capitalise. Whelan also did well on the defensive end, providing great cover and shutting down West Brom players. One of the best on the day for Stoke City.
Xherdan Shaqiri – 5: Looked fairly threatening at times but was by no means his best performance. Replaced by Arnautovic with 20 minutes to go.
Mame Biram Diouf – 5: Had a similar performance to Shaqiri. Looked promising early on but could not find the ball after Stoke were reduced to nine.
Substitutes
Marc Wilson – 6: Played well after coming on for Johnson in the 63rd minute.
Stephen Ireland – N/A: Only played for about 10 minutes so did not have enough time to have an impact.
Marko Arnautovic – 6: Provided a spark that Stoke needed in the last half-hour.
West Bromwich Albion
Boaz Myhill – 6: Had a little bit of pressure early on but was not troubled in the latter stages.
Jonas Olsson – 6: Fairly good job when defending but was a spectator after the Baggies gained a two-man advantage.
Gareth McAuley – 6: Had some issues early on but was undisturbed after the two red cards.
Joleon Lescott – 6: For the most part, untroubled.
Craig Dawson – 6: Dawson was hardly noticed all game except for a clearing header from Charlie Adam’s cross very early in the game.
Darren Fletcher – 7: Was very good but almost unnoticed in attacks as he was playing very deep near the defenders. Saw a shot go just wide.
James Morrison – 5: Could not test the Stoke City defenders but he had a lot to live up to from his performance against Chelsea.
James McClean – 6: Good defence from McClean and he also did well in attack after the two dismissals. Was replaced by Gamboa after about an hour.
Claudio Yacob – 5: Only had 35 minutes to prove himself but failed to help out the defenders in this time. Was substituted for Lambert as West Brom needed to attack.
Craig Gardner – 6: Taunted Afellay which led to a red card for the Dutchman. Was solid but was not seen much in offensive play and counter-attacks. Made way for the more attacking McManaman at the half time break.
Salomon Rondon – 7: Had an excellent day, notably in the first half. Able to capitalise on the two-man deficit by powering home a well placed header. Caused problems for the defenders all day.
Substitutes
Cristian Gamboa – 6: Was not able to break down the Stoke defence.
Callum McManaman – 6: Had some great runs down the wing but never really found anyone.
Rickie Lambert – 6: A great cross from Lambert caused Rondon to head home the winner.
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Rondon. That lad is a super player.
A loss to a team like West Brom, who would be amongst the relegation zone if it were not for this victory, could prove very costly come the end of the season, when Stoke is fighting for Premier League survival.
Stoke City have been performing poorly to start the season, however, I believe that they can turn it around. They have finished 9th the past two seasons and have brought in quality players. They should be able to at least finish where they were last season.
Stoke City have been performing poorly to start the season, however, I believe that they can turn it around. They have finished 9th the past two seasons and have brought in quality players. They should be able to at least finish where they were last season.