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  • Kick-off: 20:00
  • Venue: Britannia Stadium
  • Attendance: 15756
  • Referee: Clattenburg, M

Live Commentary

90 mins

That's it, it's all over, the referee has blown the final whistle.

90 mins

Carl Fletcher goes into the referees book for unsporting behaviour.

89 mins

Crystal Palace are replacing Scott Sinclair with Carl Fletcher.

89 mins

Tom Soares is being taken off, Sean Scannell has come on in his place.

85 mins

Goal!! Stoke have scored with Glenn Whelan putting it in the back of the net.

77 mins

Stoke are replacing Stephen Pearson with Jay Bothroyd.

66 mins

Mark Hudson is booked for unsporting behaviour.

56 mins

Victor Moses is being taken off, Kyel Reid has come on in his place.

56 mins

Stoke are replacing Mamady Sidibe with Ricardo Fuller.

46 mins

The second half is under way with the score currently at 0 v 2.

45 mins

The ref has blown his whistle for half time.

45 mins

Goal!! Jose Miguel Fonte scores for Crystal Palace.

23 mins

Goal!! Crystal Palace have scored with Tom Soares putting it in the back of the net.

0 mins

It's 8pm on Monday, April 7th, the match has kicked off.

Match Report

Crystal Palace survived a second-half bombardment to move into the play-off places and prevent Stoke City from regaining top spot in the Championship.

A cagey opening spell was soon forgotten when Stoke's Mamady Sidibe struck the woodwork in the ninth minute.

The danger came from a trademark long throw by Rory Delap and Sidibe's flicked header struck the inside of the far post, before the ball rolled along the line and out to safety.

But Palace were at least holding their own and stunned the home fans when they opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.

Scott Sinclair left Danny Pugh trailing to hang up a cross from the right byline and Tom Soares stole in unmarked at the far post to head home from six yards.

Stoke were nervous and stuttering, with newcomers Shola Ameobi and Stephen Pearson working hard but struggling to make an impression on their home debuts.

Palace took a firm grip in first-half stoppage time, when a half cleared free-kick was pumped back into the danger zone for Jose Fonte to unleash an 18-yard shot which tore into the net.

Stoke had a real go at the start of the second half as Leon Cort headed narrowly wide from Pugh's cross, then Ameobi did likewise from Pearson's delivery.

Tony Pulis also answered the fans' call for substitute Ricardo Fuller, returning from a two-match ban, as he replaced Sidibe, just 11 minutes into the second period.

And Fuller almost gave Stoke a 70th minute lifeline when he left two defenders for dead before his shot was brilliantly saved by Julian Speroni.

It was one-way traffic now, but Palace were defending solidly against a barrage of corners and crosses into the danger area.

Stoke, to their credit, continued to bomb on and only Ameobi will know how he failed to beat Speroni from four yards 12 minutes from time.

They finally bagged a deserved consolation five minutes from time when Glenn Whelan netted a scorching 25-yard volley, after a clearance from Jay Bothroyd's corner dropped into his path.

Stoke City Team

Crystal Palace Team

Stoke City

Crystal Palace

Corners

13 2

Fouls

10 18

Goal attempts

11 7

Shots off target

6 3

Offsides

1 3

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