Early Comeback Gives Stoke City the Win Against Swansea
Saturday Afternoon saw Stoke take on Swansea at the bet365 stadium. Both sides came with terrible form as the Potters only managed one win in their last six fixtures.
The Swans provided an early opener as Wilfried Bony scored for the first time since coming back to the Welsh side.
The third-minute goal was provided by a spectacular cross from Martin Olsson after Bony gave him the lay off in attack.
The next half hour saw the hosts attempting to press forward as the stadium filled with boos for the away lead.
Though solid attempts in the attack were made by the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Mame Diouf, the Potters failed to convert chances due to Swansea's defence.
It wasn't until the 36th minute that Stoke managed to get the equaliser as Swiss forward Shaqiri converted a ball provided by Joe Allen, poking it behind Lukasz Fabianski into the back of the net.
It didn't take long for the home side to take the lead as Senegalese forward Diouf gave Stoke their second goal.
Four minutes after the equaliser, Ryan Shawcross conjured the counter attack as his long ball met the head of Peter Crouch, who lofted the ball forward for Diouf in the Swansea box.
The first half ended with Stoke taking the lead at the bet365 stadium with Mark Hughes desperately looking for a win.
The intensity of the first half didn't mirror in the second as things got a little quieter when the whistle blew.
Within the opening minutes, Stoke suffered what looked to be a crucial injury as defender Bruno Martins Indi collided with Bony and sustained a groin injury.
He was carried off in a stretcher as former Spurs man Kevin Wimmer took his place on the pitch.
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The remainder of the match saw both sides taking the ball back and forth as there were multiple chances created.
Despite being so close to finding the back of the net, both Stoke and Swansea were failing to convert with their star players.
The Potters decided to up the ante by subbing on Ramadan Sobhi and Ibrahim Afellay in an attempt to put the attack in their favour pushing up front.
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Martins Indi's injury saw the game have seven minutes of added time with Shaqiri missing a huge chance on the 90-minute mark as Sobhi drove the ball into the path of the Swiss man, only for the 26-year-old to blast it over the bar.
The match ended with Hughes' side winning and Stoke now see themselves equal on points with Southampton n the Premier League table.
