Full-time: Stoke 3-1 Swansea
That’s your lot! Stoke rise all the way to 12th place after their third consecutive win. Swansea remain in 19th place and it’s increasingly looking like a season of struggle for them. They’ve won one of their first 10 matches. At least Sunderland exist. Thanks for reading. Bye.
90 min+2: Sigurdsson swings in a corner from the left, Fer heads wide.
90 min: There will be four added minutes.
87 min: Swansea also make their final change, Jack Cork replacing Ki.
86 min: Peter Crouch replaces Marko Arnautovic. Stoke have used up their changes now.
PENALTY TO SWANSEA! OR IS IT?
82 min: Erik Pieters decides to try and usher the ball out of play for a goal-kick, when it’s clear moving too slowly. Routledge predictably dispossesses him, Pieters hauls him down, Michael Oliver points to the spot. Then he spots his linesman flagging, After a brief discussion, he changes his mind on the advice of his assistant and awards Swansea a free-kick just outside the area. It’s not their night.
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80 min: Swansea haven’t been terrible, you know, but they’ve lacked conviction at both ends and look like ending the evening with five points from their first 10 matches. They’ve got Manchester United at home on Sunday. Admittedly that sentence doesn’t quite mean what it once did.
79 min: Before the corner can be taken, Jonathan Walters replaces Wilfried Bony. He won’t be scoring a hat-trick tonight. That substitution out of the way, we continue. Llorente heads Sigurdsson’s corner straight at Grant.
78 min: Swansea are refusing to give up and Llorente slips a pass through to Borja on the left. His deflected shot loops over Grant and kisses the top of the bar as it floats behind for a corner.
76 min: The first booking of the evening goes to Arnautovic for a foul on Ki, Michael Oliver’s patience running out. He got a lot of the ball there. He’ll be suspended for Saturday’s game at West Ham. Mark Hughes won’t be happy.
75 min: Stoke want a fourth. Arnautovic flashes a low ball across the face of goal, forcing Rangel to put it behind before Allen can pounce. Adam whips the corner towards the near post. Bony, looking for his third, glances it towards the far post. It’s hacked clear for another corner. This one comes to nothing, though.
GOAL! Stoke 3-1 Swansea (Bony, 73 min)
One former Swansea man makes it, another scores it. Marko Arnautovic loses Mawson on the edge of the area and cleverly sends Allen through on the right of the Swansea area. Fabianski saves his effort but Allen adjusts his body acrobatically to hook the ball into the six-yard box, where Bony clinically heads it into the far corner for his second of the night. That should be that. Stoke are heading for their third consecutive win.
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72 min: Ki is down after being caught by Whelan. He eventually drags himself to his feet, a little gingerly.
70 min: Adam shoots from 20 yards. He does not hit the post. He’s nowhere near the post.
68 min: Neil Taylor skies an effort from long range. Swansea could have done without such wishful thinking from their left-back.
67 min: Angel Rangel knocks a ball down the line. Everyone leaves it and Wayne Routledge appears in the shot, scooting clear. The flag stays down and he’s got Borja in the middle, all alone as Shawcross comes across to confront Routledge. If he can work it past the Stoke defender, Borja has a clear sight of goal. He cannot work it past the Stoke defender.
64 min: Routledge nutmegs Pieters on the right. His cross is dreadful, though.
62 min: Bob Bradley heeds my advice. Borja Baston is on for Modou Barrow, who’s not got much change out of Erik Pieters.
61 min: Swansea might need to make a change soon. They’ve looked a tad deflated since falling behind again.
58 min: “Stoke v Swansea might not be a top-drawer contest to some, but I this is one of the more star-studded fixtures when it comes to international nickname hyberbole!” says Peter Oh. “The Welsh Xavi (Allen), the Austrian Cristiano Ronaldo (Arnautovic), the Alpine Messi (Shaquiri), the Korean Gerrard (Ki), the Icelandic Messi (Sigurdsson)...”
It’s been much better than Liverpool versus Manchester United.
GOAL! Stoke 2-1 Swansea (Mawson own goal, 55 min)
Ramadan Sobhi hadn’t much since coming on. Now he’s done this. He isolated Rangel on the left of the area, twisting and turning before working an opportunity on his left foot. He threaded a cross-shot into the six yard, taking Fabianski out of the game, and Alfie Mawson could only turn it into his own net. Stoke lead again!
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51 min: Sobhi’s pass in a harmless position hits a Swansea man, but Bony pressures Rangel into conceding a corner on the left. From the delivery, the ball reaches Shawcross. He scuffs a shot, slipping, then gathers himself and tries again. He can’t get it through the massed Swansea ranks.
50 min: Sigurdsson has a pop from 20 yards. His weak bouncer is straight at Grant, who deals with it comfortably.
49 min: But here’s a chance, soft defending allowing Arnautovic to wriggle and cut the ball back to Bony, who blazes over from eight yards. A poor miss by his standards.
48 min: Stoke have started this half on the front foot, but there’s not much fluency yet.
46 min: Off we go again. Stoke get the second half underway.
HALF-TIME ENTERTAINMENT COURTESY OF LUIS SUAREZ
That glare from Neymar, though. 😡 (🎥 @jonnysmiffy) pic.twitter.com/sbd3fBEK2w
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) October 31, 2016
Half-time: Stoke 1-1 Swansea
Swansea will be happy with the state of things, Stoke less so. The host took an early lead through Wilfried Bony, were looking good until Wayne Routledge equalised a few minutes later and have since hit the post three times. It’s been a good game, but Stoke will be irritated it’s all square.
45 min+2: The rather brilliant Gylfi Sigurdsson slides a pass through to Barrow on the right. He scampers in behind, but gets it all wrong as he closes in on goal, totally miscuing at the end of it.
45 min: There will be three added minutes. Bad news. I’ve been desperate to go to the toilet for ages.
43 min: After those three Stoke chances, Swansea decide that it’s probably worth trying to score a second goal. So Llorente nods down for Routledge, who takes a touch before hammering a shot on target from 20 yards. Grant is equal to it, however, leaping to push it over at the expense of a corner, from which Fer heads wide.
42 min: “The mention of Rory Delap (2 min.) reminds me of a recent Derby-Liverpool U18 match highlights video,” says Peter Oh. “I noticed that the strong-armed Irishman is now in charge of the Derby youngsters! I tried to keep an eye out for a Rams player capable of lobbing unbelievable throw-ins under Delap’s tutelage, but came away disappointed.”
41 min: Swansea have been forced into a change, Kyle Naughton unable to continue. Angel Rangel replaces him at right-back.
39 min: Stoke hit the woodwork for the third time in this half! At least it’s not Charlie Adam this time. The hat-trick would have been too much to bear. Instead it’s Arnautovic who can’t believe that he hasn’t scored. Picked out by Joe Allen, who pierced the Swansea defence with a stunning through ball, Arnautovic peeled in from the right and rounded Fabianski, but the angle was ever so slightly against him and he couldn’t quite wrap his left foot around the ball. A yard to the right and it was in; instead the ball hit the base of the left post and rolled away to safety.
36 min: Modou Barrow is down clutching his face after a clash with Erik Pieters. The Stoke fans are unimpressed. It transpires that he will live.
34 min: Charlie Adam hits the post for the second time! The ball got away from Bony on the edge of the Stoke area but Charlie Adam displayed his renowned pace to reach it before the slumbering Leroy Fer, holding off the Dutch midfielder, opening up his body and curling a left-footed beauty towards the top right corner from 20 yards. Lukas Fabianski was beaten. But it didn’t quite bend back in time and Swansea survive.
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32 min: A lull. But this has been a good game so far. It’s not easy to pick a winner at the moment.
29 min: Arnautovic has moved over to the right now, with Ramadan on the left, and he almost slides a pass through to Bony. It’s underhit, though, and mopped up by Swansea, who promptly counter. A sweeping move ends with Sigurdsson curling a 20 yarder too close to Grant.
27 min: Ramadan Sobhi is a 19-year-old Egyptian winger who impressed for Stoke against Hull in the League Cup last week. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s all about, although what does it say for Bojan Krkic’s prospects that he’s still sitting on the bench?
26 min: Before the corner can be taken, Stoke bring on Ramadan Sobhi for Xherdan Shaqiri. When the corner is taken, it’s not very good.
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25 min: Swansea fancy this, you know, and they almost score a second. Neil Taylor whips a cross into the area from the left. Llorente brings it down and holds it up for Sigurdsson, whose curler hits a Stoke defender and goes behind for a corner.
24 min: There’s a suggestion that Xherdan Shaqiri’s evening is over. He’s signalling to the Stoke bench that he’s struggling with a knock. It might be a foot problem. He was on the receiving end of a whack early on and was hobbling then.
22 min: Kyle Naughton is the latest defender to fall asleep, allowing Arnautovic a free run into the area from the left. The Austrian’s dribble is halted, but he recovers and holds on the ball before working it to Adam, who goes for accuracy over power from 18 yards, swerving a crisp low finish past Fabianski - but against the left post.
19 min: The Stoke fans are trying to make some noise, sensing that their team hasn’t reacted well to Swansea’s equaliser. They do have eyes, after all. Stoke weren’t expecting that development. Swansea are bossing possession at the moment.
17 min: Bruno Martins Indi requires some treatment after taking a smack in the gob from Fernando Llorente, who receives a telling off from Michael Oliver. The Stoke defender will be back on shortly.
16 min: Lukas Fabianski drops Swansea in it with a kick straight to Joe Allen. He mulls over his options, then decides to shoot from 25 yards because that’s what he does now, accept it. For once, he does not score. But Fabianski probably doesn’t want to be doing that again.
15 min: Shaqiri floats a free-kick behind for a goal-kick. He can be frustrating.
13 min: Barrow, always lively down the right, finds Naughton on the edge of the Stoke area. His effort is blocked. Stoke end up with a throw.
10 min: Stoke look for an immediate response. The ball falls to Bony 20 yards for goal. He lets fly and his shot takes a deflection, spinning just wide. Swansea deal with the corner this time and the ball comes to Pieters, who wallops one well wide from 30 yards.
GOAL! Stoke 1-1 Swansea (Routledge, 8 min)
Or not. Swansea wake up and equalise. They make it into Stoke’s half for the first time, Sigurdsson schemes on the right, turns and lifts a dainty cross towards the far post. Phil Bardsley is having a quick nap. Wayne Routledge darts in front of him and glances a fine header beyond Grant. The home fans fall silent. Stoke are stunned.
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7 min: Stoke could kill this game off very quickly if Swansea don’t wake up soon. From another corner, Shawcross is granted a free header on goal. Fabianski dives to his left to save.
6 min: Swansea are all over the show here. Arnautovic charges down the left and feeds Pieters, whose low cutback is cleared as far as Adam. His firm drove is blocked.
GOAL! Stoke 1-0 Swansea City (Bony, 3 min)
Wilfried Bony takes advantage of calamitous defending to score his first Stoke goal against his former club! Shaqiri’s corner from the right was poor, directed straight to the first man at the near post. The ball’s headed towards the opposite side of the Swansea area. Swansea’s defenders all leave it to each other, all of them standing around, having a think about what to have for lunch tomorrow. Joe Allen arrives on the scene and scuffs a volley into the six-yard box, where Bony is in poaching form. He’s the only player alive to it. He slams it high into the net. Dismal from Swansea.
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3 min: Stoke are quickly into their groove, Bony laying off for Charlie Adam, who has a shot from 25 yards. It’s deflected wide. And...
2 min: “Regarding Stoke’s technical qualities I remember the Delap days ... and I can say with relief that Stoke’s best player is no longer someone who can throw the ball,” says Rowan Sweeney.
Off we go! Swansea, in their light blue shirts and navy shorts, get the game underway. They’re kicking from right to left in the first half?
Here come the teams! We’ll have football soon. Did you know that it’s Halloween?
“I think a player for player argument in football is something of a misnomer, says Ian Copestake. “Ordinary players can be great if the team is. A genius of some sort helps, whether as manager or player, to inspire and organise the footsoldiers around him.”
That’s why Charlie Adam starts.
@JacobSteinberg. Adam's inclusion is the biggest taking point amongst us Stoke fans. Can make things happen but can ruin the party equally.
— Merrym'n (@merrym_n) October 31, 2016
I hope he shoots from the halfway line!
“Agree about your comment re “talent available” to Hughes, and was just thinking about how this side would have fared in the mid 90s,” says Allan Castle. “All the talent and technical ability that’s come to England in recent decades means the standard has gone way up such that Stoke are currently a team scrapping to get to mid table. But player for player, there is a lot of quality and when you think about the first Man U title winning side, or Blackburn 95, or Leeds in 92… were they that much better player for player?”
Certainly manager for manager. I know what you mean, but a few of these players are at Stoke because they haven’t quite made it at bigger clubs and aren’t consistent enough.
The teams!
Stoke: Grant; Bardsley, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Whelan, Adam; Shaqiri, Allen, Arnautovic; Bony. Subs: Given, Muniesa, Walters, Imbula, Crouch, Bojan, Ramadan.
Swansea: Fabianski; Naughton, van der Hoorn, Mawson, Taylor; Fer, Ki; Barrow, Sigurdsson, Routledge; Llorente. Subs: Nordefelt, Amat, Rangel, Britton, Borja, Cork, James.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Preamble
Hello. Winning your first game isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Arsenal have just about recovered from losing to Liverpool on the first weekend of the season, putting together a run of form that has left them joint top, while Swansea haven’t tasted victory since winning at Burnley the day before. They’ve picked up two points from eight games since that 1-0 win at Turf Moor and were so concerned that they replaced Francesco Guidolin with Coach Bob Bradley, who wouldn’t mind experiencing his first victory as Swansea’s manager sooner rather than later.
Tonight Swansea visit Stoke, who failed to win any of their first seven league matches. Crisis! But look at them now. They’re flying. They’re on a hot two-game winning streak after beating Sunderland and Hull City 2-0 and haven’t lost since the low of a 4-1 defeat at Crystal Palace on 18 September. After making their usual slow start under Mark Hughes, they resemble a proper side again and could rise into mid-table with a win tonight. Given the talent available to Hughes, that should be the least of their ambitions. It is all easier said than done, of course. Swansea aren’t a shambles and Bradley could coax some decent performances out of this team. But they’re 19th, four points behind Stoke in 17th. There’s not much time for them to hang around.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
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