That's it full time here at the Britannia Stadium. A resounding 3-0 victory for Stoke City!
90'
Harry Kane is cutting a rather forlorn and frustrated figure up front. He has been starved of service all game and has had to feed off of scraps. That said he has worked tirelessly for the cause and it is this kind of effort, as well as his goals that have endeared him to the Spurs fans.
88'
S. Sidwell enters the game and replaces G. Whelan.
CLOSE! Arnautovic nearly scores a peach of a goal. He has tormented the Tottenham defence today, who will be begging for the full time whistle, this time he cuts in from the left and tries to whip the ball into the top corner. It whistles agonisingly close to the far post while Lloris can only stand and watch.
86'
J. Vertonghen is unfortunate, scores an own goal!
GOAL! 3-0! And now Mame Biram Diouf does get the goal that he has been hunting for all afternoon.
Arnautovic totally skins the hapless Eric Dier and get to the byline before drilling in a low cross towards the near post where Diouf is waiting to turn the ball in. Stoke have been relentless and clinical in their attacking play today. It's hard to say that they don't warrant their 3-0 scoreline this afternoon.
84'
P. Odemwingie enters the game and replaces J. Walters.
83'
Jon Walters who will be replaying that sitter over and over in his head, won't have the opportunity to get on the scoresheet today as he is brought off for Peter Odemwingie who has just returned to fitness after a serious knee injury.
81'
SHOT! Kane is needleesly brought down about 30 yards from goal in what you would most definitely call Eriksen territory. it is indeed the Dane who takes the freekick. He gets it up and over the wall but can't get sufficient dip on the strike to get it on target. Time running out for the visitors.
79'
MISS! And this is a fairly astonishing miss from Jonathan Walters. The Stoke City striker had the goal at his mercy from just six yards out and somehow managed to hit the ball straight at Lloris. That simply had to be a goal. Ireland and Shawcross had done very well in the build up to set up a chance.
77'
Stoke once again look to counter attack after a Tottenham set piece. Arnautovic races away down the right wing and looks to deliver the ball into the box but his cross is way too strong and goes harmlessly out of play.
76'
M. Dembélé enters the game and replaces É. Lamela.
Minute
Description
75'
Nearly another goal for Stoke City as Ireland's cross is nodded down unselfishly across the area by Diouf but Walters is unable to turn the ball home. Maybe Diouf could have gone for goal himself there?
73'
S. Ireland enters the game and replaces C. Adam.
Mason absolutely clatters into a tackle with Ireland and win the balls cleanly but seems to have hurt himself more than his opponent. Dembele is readying himself to come on and it may well be in place of the young England international.
71'
Bit of a surprising substitution from Stoke with Charlie Adam being taken off, to a standing ovation, for Stephen Ireland. Adam for my money has been the best player on the park this afternoon but maybe Mark Hughes is looking to protect him and give Ireland a decent run out.
69'
Eriksen has seen plenty of the ball this half and has tried to ignite something but to no avail so far. No Premier League side has played more games than Tottenham Hotspur this season and perhaps this long season has contributed to a pretty lacklustre display so far. Stoke on the otherhand have been very energetic right from the off.
67'
Spurs have upped the tempo since the break but have been completely hamstrung by that early red card. Stoke have often been toying with their opponents and have always looked a lot more composed in the final third.
65'
Tottenham force not one but two corners in a row but they can't make it count. The final ball from Lamela and more often Eriksen has been lacking so far today. The visitors certainly aren't giving up but Stoke are in total control against ten men.
63'
Adam puts in a devillish cross from the left full of bend and pace which is miscontrolled by Walters at the back post before it is fumbled by Lloris. The Spurs goalkeeper does manage to collect the ball but the referee had already given a foul.
61'
Soldado enters the game and replaces N. Chadli.
CHANCE! Dier meets Eriksen's cross from the left and forces a corner from the away side. His header was decent but it was deflected up and over the bar by Shawcross. What the defender was doing that high up the pitch I'm not too sure but that it is more like it from Tottenham. Before that Nacer Chadli was replaced by perennial substitute Roberto Soldado.
59'
SAVE! Good stop by Lloris to turn Adam's low bending right footed effort around the post. The Stoke playmaker has really called the tune all game much to the annoyance of the travelling Tottenham supporters who are not his biggest fans. There have been a number of incidents between the player against Spurs in the past.
57'
Does it become a case of damage limitation now for the visitors? Stoke are oozing with confidence at the moment and are pinging the ball around. It is not really Pochettino's style to sit back and be negative but you feel the more they press forward the more likely it is that they will be exposed by their hosts.
55'
Bentaleb has dropped into the back four for the time being. That red card has now surely ended any hope Tottenham had of getting back into this contest. Pochettino must now regret sending back out for the second half Chiriches on a booking. It is no exaggeration to say that the Romanian has been a total liability this afternoon.
53'
CHANCE! Shawcross gets across his man from the resulting freekick but the Stoke skipper can't direct his header on target and the ball goes wide after hitting the turf.
51'
V. Chiricheș gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
RED CARD FOR CHIRICHES! Absolute madness from the Romanian captain, who is already on a booking, fouls Diouf in exactly the same way that he did in the first half to Jon Walters. Clattenburg has no option but to show a second yellow card.
49'
Adam nicks the ball from Bentaleb in the centre of the pitch and strides forward towards the Spurs penalty area. The young Algerian midfielder then returns the favour by pinching it from the man who dispossessed him. The ball ends up out wide with Arnautovic who crosses low into the box but Fazio is in the right place to stab it clear.
47'
SHOT! Eriksen works the ball onto his right foot and whips it at goal from 30 yards out. There is plenty of swerve on it and Butland opts to punch the ball to safety rather than attempting to catch it. Lamela is then got offside from the subsequent corner.
46'
Tottenham get the second half restarted. They had to wait after a pitch invader held up proceedings. A disturbing lack of stewards chasing the man down mean that he was on the field of play for longer than you would've liked. No substitutions for either side as of yet.
45' +3
Half time 2-0 to Stoke City.
45' +2
Harry Kane has shown his usual dogged determination to force a corner which Lamela will take. Muniesa heads the ball clear and it eventually works it's way out to Vertonghen who crosses into the area. His cross falls to Mason on the edge of the box but the midfielder scuffs his shot wide. Perhaps he should have done better there.
45'
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
44'
Stoke seem quite content at times to drop in deep and get men behind the ball before springing onto the counter when it breaks down from Spurs. The Potters have looked very lively on the counter attack and the pace of their attacks have caused their opponents real problems.
42'
SHOT! I'm almost losing count of the amount of times Arnautovic has hit the target so far today. He is giving Eric Dier a torrid time and on this occasion he takes it down the outside before letting fly with his left foot. Lloris gets down sharply to keep it out at his near post.
40'
Stoke haven't given much away at all and it has therefore been hard for the Spurs attackers to get into the match. Shawcross and Muniesa have read the play very well and have snuffed out any potential threat.
38'
Kane wins an excellent tackles in the middle of the Stoke midfield which breaks kindly for Lamela, who appears to pull back Pieters but the referee allows play to continue. Lamela plays the ball into the onrushing Ryan Mason who cracks a low drive across the box but it is well blocked by Shawcross. Better from Tottenham.
36'
Stoke have been by far the better side thus far but it must be said that the visitors have contributed to their own downfall with some fairly dreadful defending in this first half. If the home side can get through to half-time with this two goal cushion intact they will feel very confident of going on to claim all three points here.
34'
SAVE! Mason drills a low shot from the edge of the box that stings the palms of Butland but the rookie goalkeeper at this level shows good handling to make sure the ball sticks. Spurs could desperately have done with an immediate reply.
32'
S. Nzonzi has scored a goal for Stoke City!
A flighted diagonal ball is lofted into the penalty area and Dier appeared to have things under control but Lloris made the decision to come out and claim it and made a mess of things. It falls perfectly to N'Zonzi, who still has a lot left to do but makes no mistake by stroking it home from inside the box. Tottenham have a mountain to climb now.
31'
GOAL! A great finish from Steven N'Zonzi makes it 2-0 to the Potters. Calamitous defending.
29'
SHOT! Once again Arnautovic tests the reflexes of Hugo Lloris but the curling shot is too central and is well held by the France no.1. Stoke still carrying the greater threat when the go forward.
27'
Tottenham have reacted reasonably well to going behind, let's face it they are used to it after conceding more than 50 Premier League goals this season. Only six teams have let in more in England's top division. That said, Charlie Adam is really dictating proceedings so far this afternoon. Everything is going through the Scottish midfielder.
25'
Stoke then look to launch a counterattack and Mason is lucky to escape a booking. The young midfielder initially did well to intercept a pass towards Diouf but then pulled his man down. Clattenburg showed a lot of leniency there particularly after showing Chiriches a yellow card earlier.
23'
OFF THE BAR! Spurs nearly straight back on level terms after Lamela's inswinging freekick is flicked on by Muniesa and the ball loops over Butland is hits the woodwork. So close to an equaliser.
21'
C. Adam has scored a goal for Stoke City!
Diouf's right wing cross is deflected by Vertonghen's straight into the path of Charlie Adam who can't missing and sends his diving header into the top corner. Not for the first time this season, the defending from Tottenham left a lot to be desired. Adam ghosted in between Fazio and Dier and simply couldn't miss. No more than the home side deserve.
20'
GOAL! STOKE MAKE THE BREAKTHROUGH AND IT'S THE MAN OF THE MOMENT CHARLIE ADAM!
18'
SAVE! Arnautovic cuts inside from the left hand side and unleashes a shot with his favoured right foot that is well turned away by Hugo Lloris. The parry from the Tottenham goalkeeper is into the danger area but Chiriches is on hand to clear the ball away. That was a wicked strike from the Austrian midfielder.
16'
V. Chiricheș gets yellow.
Pochettino will be pleased to see his team starting to get into their usual passing rhythm over the last couple of minutes. This then comes to a grinding halt as Jon Walters picks Chiriches' pocket before being hauled down by the Romanian international. A very straightforward yellow card there given by Mark Clattenburg.
14'
Harry Kane stretches his legs for the first time this afternoon after being released by Erik Lamela down the left wing. The England striker hurdles a challenge well and should be commended for not going to ground. Kane then looks to fire the ball across the penalty area but it is straight down the throat of Butland.
12'
Stoke force yet another corner after Chadli as a rather wild swing at the ball and ends up hacking it out of play. It looked like the Belgian winger was rather worried about being clattered by Diouf. Adam's corner this time is too deep and Dier can head clear.
10'
Stoke aren't giving the Spurs midfield any room to move or breathe. This time it is Eriksen who is squeezed off the ball in the centre of the park. No other Premier League player has run further than the Tottenham no.23 this campaign and it is perhaps beginning to show. He was very subdued last weekend and is maybe a little bit lucky to start today.
8'
Tottenham are being penned back at the moment and are finding it very difficult to keep hold off the ball. Stoke are looking to release their wide players into the channels at every opportunity before getting the ball into the box. The Spurs makeshift back four have dealt with everything thrown at them so far albeit not particularly convincingly.
6'
From Stoke's third corner of the game the ball eventually works it's way to Geoff Cameron who flights the ball into the are and finds Ryan Shawcross free at the back post and he heads down into the turf which is gratefully gathered in by Lloris. It wouldn't have counted in any case as the centre back had been flagged for offside. Really positive start from the home team.
4'
Stoke force two corners in quick succession that Charlie Adam takes. The second of these is headed away by Fazio and is volleyed back at goal by Marc Muniesa, who displays fabulous technique, and forces Lloris into an acrobatic save.
2'
Stoke are pressing Spurs high up the pitch and are hoping to force errors. Tottenham so far are happy to knock the ball around but their possession is in harmless areas.
1'
Stoke get us underway in their traditional red and white striped kit. Spurs are in their away kit of all yellow. Mark Clattenburg is our referee this afternoon.
Eriksen latches onto a hopeful punt down the field by Jan Vertonghen. The Danish playmaker smuggles the ball back to Nacer Chadli who looks to pick out Harry Kane but the cross is overhit and drifts out of play for a goalkick.
Good afternoon and welcome to the Britannia Stadium. Chris Baker is the name and Stoke City vs Tottenham Hotspur is the game. I'll be guiding you through the action today.
The team news is in and we'll start with our hosts The Potters...
STOKE CITY SUBS: Sorensen, Bardsley, Wollscheid, Ireland, Sidwell, Crouch and Odemwingie.
SPURS SUBS: Vorm, Rose, Yedlin, Townsend, Dembele, Stambouli and Soldado.
Both teams come into this match on the back of defeats last weekend with Stoke going down 2-0 away against Swansea while Tottenham lost 1-0 at home at Manchester City. Mark Hughes makes two changes with Marc Wilson dropping out and Marc Muniesa returning after a hamstring injury. While Spurs one make one alteration from the starting lineup that faced City last Sunday with Danny Rose only fit enough for the bench and Vlad Chiriches takes his place in the side. This means that Jan Vertonghen will deputise at left back.
Andros Townsend and Mousa Dembele were absent from the matchday squad last weekend with foot and thigh injuries respectively but both are named on the substitutes bench for Mauricio Pochettino's team. This means that Paulinho who made a decent cameo appearance against Manchester City doesn't even make the 18 today, which is a little harsh. Jack Butland continues in goal for Stoke City in place of Asmir Begovic.
A victory for Stoke City today would take them onto 50 points which is what they managed at the end of last season with still two games remaining. They are also looking to do the double over Tottenham Hotspur after winning 2-1 at White Hart Lane in November. Spurs have an excellent away record this term which is bettered only by Arsenal and Chelsea. They have done well recently at the Britannia winning four of their last five visits.
The player's are out on the pitch and the prematch formalities are currently taking place. As ever there is great noise inside the stadium and kick off is just moments away...
Mark Hughes will be absolutely delighted with his sides first half performance. They have been better than their opponents from back to front. Jack Butland hasn't had a huge amount to do but his fingertip save to flick the ball onto the bar may turn out to be vital as it was 1-0 at that stage of the game. The Potters have played with a great tempo and fierce intensity and Spurs simply haven't been able to cope with it so far.
As for Tottenham, what now for Mauricio Pochettino? His charges really haven't been at the races for the majority of the first fourty-five minutes. He will demand a much better showing for the travelling fans after the interval. The back four haven't played together much and it has certainly showed. They have been nervy and indecisive from the get-go and this hasn't been helped by a rare mistake from Lloris that handed Stoke a two-nil advantage.
Spurs have recovered 17 points from losing positions this season and that is a record that is only bettered by Crystal Palace in the Premier League. It will take a fairly miraculous second half recovery to keep Tottenham's distant Champions League prospects alive. If the Potters can keep it tight for the first ten minutes or so of the second half it seems very unlikely that a turnaround will be on. Townsend, Dembele and Soldado could come off the bench to freshen things up. If the pattern remains a third Stoke goal looks more likely.
Well people will look at this result and wonder were Stoke that good or Tottenham that bad? In truth, as is often the case, it was a combination of the two. The Potters started on the front foot and never let Spurs off the hook. Charlie Adam continued his rich vein of form and Marko Arnautovic turned in what surely must be one of his best performances of the season. Man for man the home side won their individual battles all over the pitch.
As for Spurs, well that was a fairly desperate display. After giving Manchester City a run for their money last Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino must be left scratching his head as to how the same group of players can put in such a limp performance. Tottenham's travelling fans deserve and expect a lot better than that. The absence of Danny Rose really unsettled the usually shaky back four. Southampton and Spurs are embroiled in a desperate battle to avoid the Europa League but both will probably end up competing in it next term.
That must be an incredibly satisfying victory for Mark Hughes for a number of reasons. The fact that they have done the double over Tottenham Hotspur for the first time in the Premier League and in the process of doing so they have matched their best ever points tally. Plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Vlad Chiriches getting himself sent off certainly made the task of claiming the three points a lot easy but make no mistake the Potters were excellent value for their win.
Well I'm afraid that is all I've got time for today. Thank you ever so much for joining me this afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I've been Chris Baker and I'll see you again next time...
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