Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Barnsley and Stoke at Oakwell as goals from Callum Styles and Daryl Dike fired Valerien Ismael's in-form Tykes to victory on Wednesday night
Wednesday 24 February 2021 22:49, UK
Barnsley moved within touching distance of the Sky Bet Championship play-offs after a 2-0 victory over Stoke at Oakwell.
A first-half Callum Styles rocket and a late Daryl Dike goal saw the Tykes climb to eighth as Stoke slipped to 10th in the standings.
It was a fourth consecutive league victory for Valerien Ismael's side.
The Barnsley boss made three changes from the team who beat Bristol City at the weekend. Toby Sibbik replaced Michael Sollbauer, Carlton Morris came in for Conor Chaplin and Dominik Frieser was preferred to Dike.
Stoke manager Michael O'Neill made one change from the side who beat Luton on Saturday. John Obi Mikel replaced Joe Allen.
Barnsley's Cauley Woodrow had the first chance of the game but the Tykes forward fired the ball into a wall of Stoke defenders in the second minute.
An eighth-minute Styles screamer opened the scoring in South Yorkshire. The Barnsley midfielder gave Angus Gunn no chance as he found the net from 25 yards out.
The visitors responded but could only head over as Danny Batth connected with Tommy Smith's cross.
Mikel threatened an equaliser for the Potters but the Nigerian's long-range volley was deflected over Brad Collins' crossbar.
Romal Palmer attempted a Barnsley second as he linked up with Alex Mowatt midway through the half although it was a comfortable stop for Gunn as the midfielder hit straight into the arms of the Stoke goalkeeper.
Frieser thought he had doubled Barnsley's lead but the Austrian was caught offside as he chased Woodrow's pass and dinked past Gunn.
Stoke's Harry Souttar took aim from the by-line but struck high and wide as Stoke continued to pile on the pressure.
Nick Powell had the first chance after the interval as he fired a shot wide from the edge of the area three minutes after the restart.
Mowatt searched for a second Barnsley goal when latching onto a Morris pass, the striker's effort was blocked by the Stoke defence.
Ismail followed with a double change as Dike and Victor Adeboyejo replaced Morris and Frieser just after the hour-mark.
Tykes forward Dike came close for the hosts in the 77th minute with a close-range attempt.
Dike doubled Barnsley's lead in the 89th minute by keeping his composure and driving his shot low past Gunn for his first goal in a red shirt.
Barnsley's Valerien Ismael: "The result was perfect for us tonight. I am very overjoyed. It was a joy to see Dike score and it's another clean sheet. It was a difficult game for sure and we had to fight hard for the win. We started really strong and scored quickly, but we struggled a lot in the first half because we conceded too many corners.
"We tried to win the ball, win duels and push the line higher. We adapted and, in the end, finished the job. We have to press, fight and be more direct. We have to be more concentrated on set pieces and we have to stay strong and wait on our chances. It was a big step in the right direction for us tonight. It will be another fight on Saturday. We are in a great position with 48 points and we need one more win to get over the 50-point line."
Stoke's Michael O'Neill: "We knew coming here what type of game it would be. It was a case at times of getting to the ball, playing it forward and making life difficult for the opposition. I have to say that Barnsley are very good at how they play and put great pressure on you. Tonight, we gave ourselves a difficult task conceding so early in the game.
"You can't give a team like Barnsley oxygen and we gave them oxygen with the goal that they scored. We had good opportunities that we didn't take in the first half and it was at times a little bit frustrating with our final choice of pass. Ultimately, when you're behind to a team like Barnsley, you have to play common-sense football and we didn't demonstrate enough common sense."
