Pre match: Micah Richards is fit enough to start at right back again, but Mark Hughes has made two changes to the starting XI from Monday night. Elano replaces Hamann, while Ched Evans makes his first Premier League start on home soil, the young Welsh striker is in for Jo.
Academy graduate Glenn Whelan is on the Stoke bench.
The Match
Stoke’s fans made their presence felt at kick off, but they saw the first chance of the game just two minutes in right in front of them, Sorensen making a good save from Robinho’s rasping shot. The former Villa and Sunderland keeper was in action again three minutes later, punching Garrido’s testing cross away a split-second before Evans got his head to it.
But we only had to wait until the 14th minute for City to open the scoring, with our Brazilian connection well to the fore. Wright-Phillips chipped into the area to find Elano, who headed it down to Ched Evans. The Welshman unselfishly laid it off to Robinho, who took his time and from an angle inside the box he buried the ball past Sorensen for his fourth of the season.
However a shaky moment in defence nearly allowed the Potters back in a minute later. Ben Haim underhit a pass across his own area and Fuller shot for goal, but Hart was down quickly to his left to tip it round the post, the ball having taken a deflection off Dunne on the way.
The City skipper was off the field for Stoke’s next real threat, a Shawcross header from a corner that Hart had to push around the post. Dunne had looked hurt after conceding the corner, but the tried and trusted magic spray did the trick and he gingerly returned to action at the next one.
Mark Hughes was forced into a change three minutes from the break, Ched Evans had been struggling for a while after taking a knock to the knee and he finally had to admit defeat, being replaced by Danny Sturridge.
The half ended with Fuller spurning a great chance to equalise, having done well to elude Dunne and get on to Sidibe’s knock-down, the striker put the ball yards over the bar with just Hart in front of him.
The atmosphere seemed a bit subdued at the start of the second half – but Robinho brought the game to life just one minute in with his second of the day. Great work from Danny Sturridge, cutting in from the right, allowed the mercurial Brazilian to pick his spot in the bottom corner of the net, a classy finish from a class act. The latest bizarre goal celebration appeared to see the striker invite his team mates to kiss his right knee – answers on a postcard, please, but the facts were five goals in six league appearances.
Sorensen failed to deal with a Garrido cross on 54 minutes, but he was grateful that SWP’s shot with the outside of his right foot from his punched clearance went straight at him. With 58 minutes showing, Richards missed an even better chance from eight yards out, spooning the ball a long way over after Ireland and Robinho had set him up. Within seconds Robinho had gone close to making it a hat-trick, Sorensen doing well to fingertip his shot past the post.
It was Joe Hart’s turn to keep the score as it was on 61, City’s keeper palming a rising shot from Tom Soares over his bar.
City were in their stride now, and on 64 minutes SWP set up Robinho with another hat-trick chance – but this time he fired right at Sorensen, but had the ball gone fractionally to either side it would have been 3-0 to the Blues.
However the seemingly inevitable happened on 72 minutes when Robinho grabbed his third at the end of a fine move. The Brazilian received the ball from Ireland and found SWP, who in turn rolled it to Sturridge. A pass back across the area allowed Robinho to drill the ball home for his hat-trick, which he celebrated by milking the acclaim of the East Stand.
SWP should have made it four seconds later when he burst through the middle, but credit to Tommy Sorensen for smothering the chance after the City man had delayed pulling the trigger.
Dave Kitson, on as a substitute, could have grabbed a consolation goal with five minutes left, but the former Reading man’s header went straight at Joe Hart. Seconds later Glenn Whelan had a chance but the Academy graduate spurned the opportunity to score against his old club by shooting a long way over the bar.
But it was City with the final chance of the day deep into stoppage time. Robinho found Stevie Ireland in yards of space and the midfielder looked certain to score – but he inexplicably put the ball over the bar when one on one with Sorensen. Thankfully it did not matter, and Robinho graciously consoled Stevie, who wondered just how he had missed the opportunity for what should have been his fourth league goal of the season.
