Mark Hughes received the pre-Christmas gift he wanted as his team ended a run of three straight defeats by eking out a nervy but deserved win. First-half goals by Joe Allen and Eric Choupo-Moting, and a late third by Ramadan Sobhi, banished, temporarily at least, the prospect of the sack for a manager who hopes this timely result is the start of a revival.
Hughes thanked his chairman, Peter Coates, after the victory for not bowing to pressure to fire him following a poor run of form. Coates instead visited the club’s training ground to encourage the manager and staff before this critical showdown.
“I didn’t really have any doubts about it but I’m even more confident after this week,” said Hughes. “I’m really proud of everybody connected to Stoke: the players, the staff within the club and the ownership.
“The chairman has been absolutely fantastic. He’s been in reassuring everybody, saying it’s business as usual. If they think they have the right people, then they back you. That’s what they’ve done this week and it’s been really important for everybody.
“I like to think we’ve repaid them to some extent but it’s about the end of the season and making sure we give them what they want and deserve as owners because they’re top drawer.”
Goodness knows, meanwhile, what the owners of West Brom have made of Alan Pardew’s first five matches in charge. Albion were just above the relegation zone when they sacked Tony Pulis last month but have since sunk deeper into trouble, second from bottom of the league and winless since August.
Hughes had aired slightly dubious grievances about recent results not being an accurate reflection of his team’s performances but here the final score was a fair indication of the play. The first half was one of Stoke’s most coherent displays of the season and vindication for some bold decisions by the manager after a spate of injuries, especially the deployment of 18-year-old Tom Edwards at right-back, which allowed Geoff Cameron to serve as a midfield sentinel protecting a defence that featured Kevin Wimmer at left-back.
Allen was assigned an advanced midfield role and justified that decision by opening the scoring in the 19th minute. The goal came courtesy of a smidgin of luck as a shot by Choupo-Moting took a deflection off Ahmed Hegazi and fell into the path of Peter Crouch, who smashed the ball across the face of goal. Allen darted in front of Allan Nyom to claim his first Premier League goal for 10 months.
There was renewed pep to Stoke’s play but they needed Jack Butland to make a superb save in the 21st minute, the goalkeeper flinging himself low to his left to tip away a shot by Salomón Rondón. That chance was created by James McClean, who had a poor game otherwise, subdued by Edwards before being replaced at half time by Nacer Chadli.
West Brom were two goals in arrears by then with Allen playing a key role in Stoke’s second. The Welshman outmuscled Gareth Barry with an ease that embarrassed the veteran and then nudged the ball on to Choupo-Moting, who sidestepped Ben Foster and fired between Hegazi and Nyom and into the net.
Stoke’s play was not free of scruffiness – Darren Fletcher’s touch was clunky, for instance – but things looked rosy for them at the interval, nonetheless. That changed within six minutes as they suffered a relapse into the form that has led to them conceding more goals than any other top-flight team this season.
West Brom halved the lead in a damningly straightforward manner. Chris Brunt clipped a pass over the top from midfield and Rondón, having escaped the attentions of Ryan Shawcross, ran on to it and finished smartly. That remainder of their fragility and, in fairness, West Brom’s improvement, introduced edginess into the hosts’ play.
Stoke spent much of the second half on the back foot but regained a measure of defensive fortitude. West Brom were not especially sharp opponents but Shawcross and Kurt Zouma did well to repel several dangerous set-pieces and Butland made a fine save from Jay Rodriguez.
Edwards produced a last-gasp tackle to prevent Rodriguez from plundering an equaliser in stoppage time but Sobhi scored on the break to ensure the home fans, and Hughes, left with festive cheer, unlike West Brom.
“We have half a season left and, realistically, we’ve got to find seven or eight games where we’re going to find a win,” said Pardew. “It needs to start soon for us. Everton [on Boxing Day] will be a key game.”
