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  • Tuncay (12), Diagne-Faye (34), Sidibe (37)
  • Duff (61), Dempsey (85)
  • Date:2010-01-05
  • Kick-off:19:45
  • Venue:Britannia Stadium
  • Attendance:25104
  • Referee:Clattenburg, M

Live Commentary

90mins

The referee blows the whistle for full time

90mins

Smalling's shot from outside the area is deflected wide for a corner, which Stoke clear

90mins

Fuller tries his luck from just outside the box but the ball falls into the arms of Schwarzer

90mins

There are 5 minutes of added time still to play

89mins

Dempsey shoots but Simonsen makes a comfortable save

89mins

Salif Diao comes on for Lawrence

87mins

Fuller passes the ball across the face of goal but there is nobody there to meet it for Stoke

84mins

Amazing goal out of nowhere from Dempsey from long range. Brilliant technique from the Fulham man

82mins

Johnson comes off for Erik Nevland

80mins

Johnson is flagged offside, much to the relief of Huth, who misjudged the ball towards the striker

77mins

The game has become scrappy in the last few minutes and Stoke look a little nervous

73mins

Schwarzer makes an instinctive save from a stinging shot from close range from Fuller

71mins

Dean Whitehead picks out Etherington with an accurate cross but the ball just runs away from him

69mins

Dempsey has a chance to score on the break but his poor finish does not match his good first touch in the box

68mins

Etherington bombs into the box and nearly gets a good cross in but for a last ditch tackle

65mins

Delap is replaced by Glenn Whelan

63mins

Schwarzer does very well to claim the ball from a Lawrence cross

62mins

Dempsey takes a shot but his effort is saved by Simonsen

60mins

Duff's shot from just outside the box is deflected past Simonsen

58mins

Johnson receives the ball in the box but his effort is blocked by Faye

57mins

Fulham are starting to put together some moves up front but Shawcross in particular is standing firm for Stoke at the back

54mins

Duff's free kick from the right goes just over the bar but Simonsen looked to have it covered anyway

52mins

Zamora fell awkwardly there and has to leave the pitch to be replaced by Clint Dempsey

52mins

Faye trips Zamora just outside the box and is booked for his efforts

51mins

Zamora's ambitious shot from distance is wild in the end, with the ball going high and wide

49mins

Zamora feels aggrieved by an apparent foul from Faye but it's just good strength from the Stoke man

47mins

Konchesky crosses the ball into the box. Zamora threatens but Simonsen does well to claim the ball

45mins

The second half is underway

45mins

Chris Smalling replaces the injured Brede Hangeland

45mins

The referee blows the whistle for half time

45mins

Fuller has another good chance to score after dancing into the box but Fulham manage to clear the ball eventually

45mins

Fuller runs towards goal brilliantly and wins a corner, from which Stoke have two great chances to score but the man on the line for Fulham saves them for now

43mins

Lawrence's corner is headed out by Fulham, who look jaded after that third goal

41mins

Ricardo Fuller comes on for the injured Tuncay

40mins

Tuncay is off the pitch injured and Stoke will want to get him back on after such an influential half

36mins

Sidibe finishes emphatically after being picked out by Delap

33mins

From the free kick from Etherington, Faye finishes well, putting Stoke 2-0 up

33mins

Stoke are applying terrific pressure whenever Fulham have the ball. Liam Lawrence comes across to challenge Paul Konchesky and wins a free kick in the process

30mins

Duff's corner is headed out well by Delap. Nobody wanted to attack the ball for Fulham there

28mins

Chris Baird plays the ball towards Johnson. Ryan Shawcross does well to see the ball out for a goal kick

26mins

Gera tries to break down the left for Fulham but Stoke do well to win the ball back. They're playing very well at the moment, with Tuncay looking a particular threat

24mins

This has been a good few minutes of pressure from Stoke, with Fulham struggling to get into this game

23mins

Etherington finds Delap, who plays the ball back to Etherington. The ball eventually falls to Sidibe but he heads it to a Fulham defender

20mins

Andrew Johnson draws a foul in a good position but Duff's resulting free kick is deflected out for a corner

17mins

Gera has a decent chance from a Fulham corner but his header misses the target

15mins

Zamora's effort from 25 yards out is blocked by Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye

14mins

Sidibe volleys the ball towards goal with his right foot. Schwarzer manages to make a comfortable save

12mins

Very poor goal for Fulham to concede. Good work from Tuncay wins Stoke a corner. Robert Huth wins the header from the corner and Tuncay is left unmarked to nod the ball into the back of the net

10mins

Murphy sends a free kick narrowly wide, with Simonsen left stranded in the middle of the goal

8mins

Zoltan Gera nearly latches onto a long ball from the Fulham defence but he's frozen out by the Stoke defenders

6mins

Danny Murphy's speculative cross aimed towards Bobby Zamora takes a deflection and goes out for a corner

4mins

Steve Simonsen comes out to claim a cross from Damien Duff from the right

4mins

Rory Delap sends in a long throw but it's headed away easily by Fulham

2mins

Matthew Etherington has the ball in the back of the net after a pass from Mamady Sidibe but he's flagged offside

0mins

Sanli Tuncay plays a hopeful ball forward. Mark Schwarzer slips but recovers well to claim the ball. Conditions are poor out there and the players will need to watch their footing, particularly in defence

0mins

It's 7:45pm on Tuesday, January 5th, the match has kicked off.

0mins

The referee gets the game underway at the Britannia Stadium

0mins

Stoke face Fulham at 7:45pm on Tuesday, January 5th.

Match Preview

Stoke City play host to Fulham on Tuesday evening hoping to arrest a Premier League slump which has seen them fail to win in their last six league outings.

A 3-0 FA Cup third round win at home to non-league York City helped morale at the Britannia Stadium, but boss Tony Pulis was careful not to read too much into that victory, despite naming a strong looking line-up.

He told the club's official website: "We haven't been able to train as hard or with the same intensity as usual due to the bad weather.

"Therefore I decided to cut back on that and play a strong side in what is going to be a three-game week with Fulham to come on Tuesday evening."

Pulis has the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from, with his trickiest decision over who to start with in attack, with City having scored just 15 times in 19 league games so far this season.

Fulham laboured to overcome lower league opposition at the weekend as well, with a goal from the in-form Bobby Zamora just enough to see off Swindon Town at Craven Cottage.

Zamora has now scored six times in his last eight games, providing the kind of spearhead that the hosts are currently lacking.

However, the Cottagers had to make do without star defender Brede Hangeland and he is unlikely to recover from a calf injury in time to feature in midweek.

Right-back John Paintsil will also be absent due to a knee injury, while Simon Davies (ankle) seems unlikely to feature.


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Match Report

Pumped up Stoke City fired three first-half goals and then survived a stirring Fulham comeback to clinch a much needed victory.

Tony Pulis' side were coasting after a rousing display in the opening 45minutes, but visiting substitute Clint Dempsey inspired a revival for Roy Hodgson's men.

Stoke were forced to make a late change after goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen damaged a finger in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Steve Simonsen.

But Pulis' team made a bright start in the freezing conditions as Matthew Etherington's sweet finish was ruled out for offside in the second minute.

Sanli Tuncay scored Stoke's first Premier League goal for almost five hours after the Turkey international won a right-wing corner in the 12th minute.

Robert Huth's header from Etherington's in-swinging delivery was going wide, but Tuncay was lurking at the far post to nod past Mark Schwarzer from a yard out.

Fulham won a couple of corners in rapid succession as they attempted to hit back, but Stoke were hungrier for battle as Mamady Sidibe fired straight at Schwarzer from the busy Etherington's pass.

Stoke, again roared on by a passionate home support, were denying the visitors room to manoeuvre as they chased and harried for every ball.

And it was no surprise when Pulis' fired up troops capitalised after Paul Konchesky's crude foul on Liam Lawrence in the 34th minute.

Etherington bent his delivery towards the far post and the ball sailed straight through for Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye to slide in his shot from point blank range at the far post.

Stoke were in dreamland three minutes later when Sidibe fired their third on the turn after Tuncay, Etherington and Danny Higginbotham had left the Fulham defence mesmerised.

Tuncay received rapturous applause when he limped off with a knee injury in the 42nd minute, but his replacement Ricardo Fuller went close on three occasions before half-time.

The Jamaica star had two attempts cleared off the line in the mayhem caused by another Etherington corner before a third effort by Ryan Shawcross was charged down.

Fulham's towering defender Brede Hangeland, who passed a late fitness test, was replaced by Chris Smalling at half-time.

And Bobby Zamora, who injured his arm in a tangle with Faye which rightly earned the Stoke skipper a booking, soon followed as Dempsey entered the fray.

Dempsey quickly made an impression as his pass to Damien Duff led to the visitors reducing the arrears in the 61st minute.

Duff struck a venomous left-foot shot after cutting in from the right and the ball took a deflection off Shawcross to leave Simonsen without a hope.

There were no further scares for Stoke, who almost restored their three-goal cushion when Fuller skinned Konchesky only to be denied by Schwarzer, before Dempsey scored a stunner five minutes from time.

Fellow substitute Erik Nevland headed on a punt forward by Stephen Kelly and Dempsey struck a fantastic half-volley from 25 yards which soared into the roof of Simonsen's net.

But Stoke certainly deserved the three points on the overall balance of play and they came through a tense finale without further damage.

Stoke City

Fulham

Corners

810

Fouls

139

Goal attempts

810

Shots off target

26

Offsides

41

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