Sailf Diao comes off the bench to score as 10-man Stoke come from behind to beat struggling Portsmouth.
Stoke come from behind to triumph
Portsmouth's hopes of ending another difficult week on a high were dealt a cruel blow when Salif Diao netted a last-gasp winner as 10-man Stoke came from behind to triumph.
The substitute slotted home after good work from Ricardo Fuller had played him in to leave the Fratton Park crowd dejected.
After a dour opening 30 minutes Pompey, who face a winding up order on 1st March if they are unable to repay money owed to Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs, edged ahead when a fizzing shot from Quincy Owusu-Abeyie was spilled by Thomas Sorensen and Frederic Piquionne reacted quickly before lifting the ball over the sprawling goalkeeper.
Stoke came out lively after the break and drew level within five minutes when Robert Huth rose above his marker to head home Glenn Whelan's corner.
The visitors went a man down in the 73rd minute when Andy Wilkinson was shown a second yellow card for allegedly pushing Aruna Dindane off the ball. The decision certainly appeared harsh and had Potters boss Tony Pulis fuming on the touchline.
Stoke regained their composure however and Diao earned maximum points with his first Premier League goal in eight years.
Tony Pulis' team enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges as Pompey failed to fashion any early chances.
Every Rory Delap throw-in drew a chorus of whistles from the home fans and the former Southampton player picked out Huth with one of his trademark missiles from the left touchline after 11 minutes.
The ball fell to Whelan 25 yards from goal, but he blasted his effort comfortably over the top.
Stoke came much closer when Wilkinson fired a long ball into the heart of the Pompey box.
Ryan Shawcross headed it down, but Mamady Sidibe spun and put a great chance wide of the target after 17 minutes.
The home supporters had little to cheer early on, but they thought Piquionne had broken the deadlock after 20 minutes.
The striker was adjudged to be offside, though, as he raced on to Owusu-Abeyie's through ball and slotted home.
Pompey enjoyed more possession as the half progressed and Nadir Belhadj nearly gave them the lead when his right-footed, 20-yard scorcher from the edge of the box just whistled over the bar after 25 minutes.
Owusu-Abeyie's pace and power caused Stoke plenty of problems on the left side and he played a huge part in helping Pompey break the deadlock after 35 minutes.
The on-loan Ghanaian striker played a slick one-two with Jamie O'Hara on the edge of the Stoke box, before unleashing a powerful, low effort.
Sorensen fumbled and Piquionne was first on the scene to punish the Dane and net the rebound.
The home side came out for the second half without their goalscorer, who was replaced by Kanu at the interval.
But Pompey nearly doubled their lead when a quick David James clearance sent Dindane racing through on goal after 48 minutes.
He took one touch too many, though, and Danny Collins dispossessed him before the Lens-owned man could pull the trigger.
Stoke countered and Fuller won a corner, when his strike was blocked by Hermann Hreidarsson.
Whelan took the kick and picked out Huth with a superb ball, which allowed the German to easily out-jump Pompey centre-back Marc Wilson and head powerfully into the top corner.
Pompey's hopes of claiming their first win of 2010 were given a major boost after 73 minutes, when Stoke had Wilkinson dismissed for a second yellow card.
The right-back scythed down Dindane on the left side of the box after 68 minutes, and when he shrugged off the Ivorian again five minutes later, referee Mike Dean gave him his marching orders.
Fuller was lucky not to join him shortly afterwards, when a ridiculously high challenge on O'Hara went unpunished by the officials.
And the striker made the most of his reprieve, when he skinned Wilson in the box in the first minute of stoppage time, before pulling the ball back brilliantly for Diao to win the game.
| Portsmouth |
Team Statistics |
Stoke City |
| 1 |
Goals |
2 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 3 |
Shots off Target |
6 |
| 10 |
Blocked Shots |
4 |
| 7 |
Corners |
7 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
10 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
4 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
1 |
| 72.7 |
Passing Success |
56.9 |
| 17 |
Tackles |
18 |
| 88.2 |
Tackles Success |
88.9 |
| 55.8 |
Possession |
44.2 |
| 55 |
Territorial Advantage |
45 |
|
