Three first half goals in five minutes ensured Stoke and Southampton shared the points after playing out a 2-2 draw in a weather controlled game at St Mary’s.
Goals from Rickie Lambert, Peter Odemwingie, Steven Davis and Peter Crouch set the tone for the match before the wind and rain hit the south coast.
Southampton took the lead with just six minutes on the clock through Lambert after The Saints were awarded a free-kick for Charlie Adam’s handball on the edge of the area, the Englishman stepped up and fired the ball straight over the wall and into Asmir Begovic’s left hand corner.
Stoke replied through Odemwingie just before half time when Adam found him in the area and launched one of the passes of the season to The Nigerian who sliced his shot straight past Artur Borus for his first goal for The Potters, to take the visitors level.
The wind was in Southampton’s favour just minutes later when a mix up between captain Ryan Shawcross and Begovic resulted in Davis’ cross trickling embarrassingly past the Stoke keeper on the inside of his far post.
After the Stoke mix up second’s earlier Southampton should have held firm and kept the lead heading into the interval but Adam put in an in-swinging corner onto the head of Crouch but Boruc couldn’t see past the crowded six yard box and the former Saints player puts The Potters level again.
A clash of heads between Jay Rodriguez and Begovic saw the Stoke keeper down receiving medical attention but he The Bosnian was deemed fit to continue.
The visitors came out fighting in the second half but the host’s looked deadly on the counter attack, Stoke’s back four kept them in the game on many occasions but Southampton could have had a penalty when the ball hit Shawcross’ hand in the area but the Adam Lallana decided not to appeal.
Lambert could have doubled his tally when he was found by Davis’ free kick but the midfielder’s half volley flies wide of the post. Southampton enjoyed 70% of the possession in the final stages but failed to make it count, the draw sees them comfortably maintain 9th spot whilst Stoke drop to 12th.
Source: DSG
