Manchesterfootball.info pays a visit to the Potteries to see a clash involving two of the Championship’s promotion contenders.
STOKE CITY 0, AFC BOURNEMOUTH 1
Junior Stanislas fired AFC Bournemouth to a huge victory at Stoke City in their pursuit of an immediate return to the Premier League.
The midfielder scored his seventh goal of the season to lift the Cherries from fifth to third place in the Championship.
Stanislas,31, who has been at the South Coast club since 2014, produced one piece of magic which lit up a game which desperately lacked a spark.
It left Jason Tindall’s side, which has lost only once in its last six matches, one point behind second-placed Swansea having played one game less.
Embed from Getty ImagesCherries’ manager thought the win was merited, saying: “It was a really good away performance against a physical side.
“I was delighted with the performance and I thought we were by far the better side and created the better chances.
“We managed to take one. It was a great goal from Junior and a case of being patient. We also had the best chance of the first half when Dominic Solanke hit the bar.
“I was also pleased with a sixth clean sheet from the last seven games.”
It was disappointing for the Potters who suffered their first loss in six league games as they remain eighth as they failed to make up ground on the teams above them.
Stoke’s Achilles heel has been a failure to turn draws into victories – four of their last six had ended all square and eight games have been in deadlock.
Manager Michael O’Neill said: “It was frustrating, but there were a lot of things to be pleased about.
“We didn’t deserve to lose. It was down to one moment which we could have defended better.”
Stoke made two changes from the side that drew at home against Nottingham Forest four days earlier as John Obi Mikel and Steven Fletcher were recalled in place of Sam Vokes and Jacob Brown.
It was a similar scenario for the Cherries who also made two from the side that began Tuesday’s defeat at Brentford as Sam Surridge and Diego Rico were preferred to David Brooks and Philip Billing.
Stoke made the brighter start creating three clear-cut chances in the opening 20 minutes.
Fletcher blazed well over when he ought to have done better, Joe Allen forced Asmir Begovic to save a shot with his legs and Jordan Thompson’s free kick whistled into the side netting.
The Cherries had one early chance when Surridge fired wide from six yards from a cross by Rico.
But mid-half they almost snatched the lead after Dominic Solanke raced on to Lewis Cook’s through ball and lobbed advancing goalkeeper Joe Bursik only for the ball to land on top of the crossbar.
The Cherries grew into the game as Junior Stanislas forced Bursik into a full length save low to his left to turn his free kick around the post for a corner.
Sadly, the final 15 minutes of the opening half turned out to be a non-event as the teams cancelled out one another.
And it remained the same for most of the lacklustre second half with a spark of inspiration badly needed.
The decisive moment came with 10 minutes left when Lewis Cook’s pass split the home defence and Stanislas raced clear to slot the ball low past Bursik.