Source: Daily_Mail
Stoke 3 Man City 1: Adebayor sent off as Potty Blues crash out of FA Cup
Carlos Tevez is today due to board a plane in Argentina and fly home to England. For Manchester City, the good news ends there.[LNB] After a frantic FA Cup replay at the Britannia Stadium, City are out ofthe competition for another year. Extra-time goals from Stoke defenderRyan Shawcross and the Turkish striker Tuncay saw to that.[LNB] Battle at the Britannia: Kitson opens the scoring for Stoke [LNB] [LNB] Roberto Mancini's City team also had to play 30 minutes of extra-time with ten men on a heavy pitch ahead of Saturday's trip to Chelsea. Emmanuel Adebayor had earlier been sent off for an open hand in the face of Shawcross and will miss three games.[LNB] Yes, it was a bad night indeed for City and it may take more than the return of Tevez - who has been in Argentina with his premature baby daughter - this weekend to repair the damage.[LNB] [LNB]MATCH FACTSSTOKE CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen 7;Whitehead 6, Shawcross 7, Huth 6,Collins 6; Lawrence 7 (Pugh, 71 mins, 6), Whelan 7, Diao 7 (Tuncay, 55, 6), Delap 7; Sidibe 6 (Kitson, 73, 6), Fuller 6.Booked: Sidibe, Fuller.[LNB]MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-2-1): Given 7; Richards 6, Onuoha 7, Lescott 7, Bridge 7 (Santa Cruz, 82); Zabaleta 6, Kompany 7, Barry 6; Ireland 6 (Wright-Phillips, 62, 6), Bellamy 6; Adebayor 7.Booked: Richards, Zabaleta, Bellamy.Sent off: Adebayor.[LNB]Man of the match: Glen Whelan.Referee: Steve Bennett.[LNB]For Stoke City it's now eleven games unbeaten and this was a night from which they deserved to triumph.[LNB] It was an attritional affair at times but - after an opening 20 minutes that City dominated - Stoke were largely on the front foot.[LNB] They appeared set to win in normal time when substitute Dave Kitson exchanged passes with Tuncay to score in the 79th minute. And even though Craig Bellamy levelled almost immediately with a sharp volley from 15 yards, Adebayor's sending off a minute or so later effectively ensured Stoke would have the decisive advantage in extra-time.[LNB] The decision to dismiss the Togo striker was right. A yellow card could have sufficed for what was a pretty weak assault. But Stoke were ruthless in the way they took advantage as Shawcross headed in a Rory Delap throw-in in the first minute of extra time and Tuncay waltzed through five minutes later.[LNB] Blue Bell: Manchester City's Craig Bellamy fires home the equaliser[LNB]Certainly Mancini felt a little aggrieved. There seemed little malicein what Adebayor did. The movement of his arm seemed designed to shovethe grappling defender away as much as anything else. In law, though,the City forward will be seen as guilty. You can not raise your arm, asthe referees say.[LNB] 'It's a shame because we played well,' said Mancini.[LNB] 'Up until that point I thought we would win. It should have been 3-1 to us.[LNB] 'I am disappointed but I don't feel under pressure.'[LNB] The country's richest club have now won just two games in eight. Butthey showed plenty of fight last night. They have become rather dull towatch under the rather pragmatic Mancini but they certainly defendbetter. It was against this background that they battled and scrapped.[LNB] Stoke, though, are feisty opposition. To concede an equaliser so soonafter taking the lead could have crushed teams with lesser spirit butTony Pulis sides tend to be of the sleeves-rolled-up variety and thissaw the home team through last night.[LNB] At one stage towards the end of normal time, Pulis and Mancini becameinvolved in a verbal spat on the touchline. It was hard to tell what itwas about but it was great fun to watch all the same.[LNB] High point: Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross climbs above City defence to head the second goal[LNB]'Next time Tony should bring a whistle,' said Mancini.[LNB] 'He wants to be the referee.'[LNB] By this stage, this game had become a rowdy affair. It hadn't been that way from the outset, though.[LNB] City were actually quicker out of the blocks at the start and shouldreally have been in the lead in the first 20 minutes of an opening halfthat didn't contain too many chances. [LNB]Stoke were relieved to see a header from midfielder Vincent Kompanypass the wrong side of the post in the tenth minute before ThomasSorensen saved well from Adebayor and Bellamy missed an easy chancewhen played in by his strike partner.[LNB] At the Britannia visiting sides really need to take their chances andCity soon realised this as Stoke managed to get the game in astranglehold by the half hour mark. Aftert that they never really gaveit up.[LNB] Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor is sent off[LNB] [LNB]Shawcross saw a shot strike Wayne Bridge then Shay Given - victim of anasty challenge from Ricardo Fuller earlier on - saved from a Delapheader.[LNB] By half-time it was beginning to look like Stoke's game and as theirplay increased in tempo in the second period City began to findthemselves under increasing threat. [LNB] City's Gareth Barry could have scored in the 68th minute when he headeda cross from substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips over the bar at the nearpost. It wasn't long after that effort that Kitson arrived from thebench to light up the game and it was all rather hectic after that.[LNB] Flashpoint: Ref Steve Bennett intervenes as Manchester City's Craig Bellamy (2nd left) clashes with Stoke City's Glenn Whelan[LNB]Pulis said: 'I think we deserved it. Thomas Sorensen kept us in it withsome great saves early on but after that, and particularly through thesecond half and extra time, we were the better team.[LNB] 'We showed great character to come back after the equaliser and I am delighted to be through.'[LNB] Stoke's reward for their efforts - if you can call it that - is aquarter-final tie at Chelsea. For City, things don't get any easier.All that's left to fight for is fourth place in the Premier League.They are not favourites.[LNB] Mancini braced for a battle when Man City face Stoke in FA Cup clashShaun Wright-Phillips and Manchester City at loggerheads over new contractEx-Liverpool, Newcastle and City star Hamann banned for drink-drivingSTOKE CITY FC
