Man City edged into fourth place in the Premier League despite being held to a point by 10-man Stoke.
Blues and Potters both on the up after hard-fought draw
Manchester City edged into fourth place in the Premier League despite being held to a point by 10-man Stoke. The Potters were firmly on top in the first half before defender Abdoulaye Faye was shown a straight red card in the 53rd minute. A Glenn Whelan strike then squirmed under Shay Given to give Stoke an unexpected lead in the 72nd minute. And although Gareth Barry grabbed an 85th-minute equaliser as the big-spending Blues laid siege on the Stoke goal late on, the hosts were denied a last-gasp winner as Ryan Shawcross had a goal disallowed for a foul on Given.Fortunate decision
It was a fortunate decision for City, who had struggled to deal with Stoke's unashamedly direct and physical approach throughout the second of three meetings between the sides in 11 days. They drew 1-1 at Eastlands on Saturday in the FA Cup fifth round so have a replay at the Britannia Stadium a week on Wednesday. Before then, City host Liverpool, who they leapfrogged into the final Champions League place - Roberto Mancini's men are one point clear of the Reds with a game in hand. Stoke, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in 2010 after nine matches since the turn of the year and they edged above Blackburn into 11th place. Already without Craig Bellamy and Carlos Tevez, Mancini further demonstrated the depth of his squad by leaving Wayne Bridge, Pablo Zabaleta, Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Martin Petrov on the bench. Micah Richards, Javier Garrido, Patrick Vieira, Roque Santa Cruz and Adam Johnson were the five changes from Saturday's starting line-up. Stoke made four changes, with influential winger Matthew Etherington forced off early on Saturday, although Faye made his return from a back injury.Uncomfortable
And the Potters made life uncomfortable for their visitors from the outset. Having equalised on Saturday from a trademark Rory Delap throw-in, they utilised that same tactic four times inside the opening 10 minutes. City were also careless in conceding set-pieces around the box and one Liam Lawrence free-kick found its way through to Mamady Sidibe, who shot tamely at Given from close range. Another Lawrence delivery was cleared only as far as Whelan but the Man City academy product shot well over. Faye then met a Lawrence corner with a powerful header but Joleon Lescott headed away in front of Given. After 25 minutes of soaking up pressure, City finally created a clear-cut opportunity when a Richards cross was flicked on by Santa Cruz but Barry sliced horribly wide. Stoke's next chance predictably came from a Delap long throw, with defender Robert Huth heading across goal. City went down the direct route themselves after the break and Adebayor caught the Stoke defence napping as he raced onto a long ball from Given. The Togo striker clearly had the beating of Faye but went down under a challenge by the Stoke defender some 35 yards out. Referee Alan Wiley consulted his assistant before deciding on Faye's punishment and it came as little surprise when he brandished a red card. City began to dominate possession and Adebayor fired over after Stoke left-back Danny Collins cut out a through ball to fellow substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips.Penalty appeal
Fuller then appealed for a penalty after claiming to be blocked by Barry and although Wiley played on, the Potters snatched the lead moments later. Delap's left-wing cross was missed by Fuller but Johnson sliced his attempted clearance into the path of Whelan and the Irish midfielder's low 25-yard strike squirmed under Given's dive into the bottom corner. Mancini's men finally roused themselves and some sustained pressure saw City draw level after Adebayor flicked on another ball into the box. Barry raced behind him to hook a shot onto the post and then reacted quickest to turn the rebound past Thomas Sorensen despite being lay on the floor. The City pressure continued yet Stoke thought they had won it when Shawcross rose above Given to head home another Delap throw but Wiley felt the Stoke defender had held down Given.| Stoke City | Team Statistics | Manchester City |
| 1 | Goals | 1 |
| 0 | 1st Half Goals | 0 |
| 3 | Shots on Target | 1 |
| 5 | Shots off Target | 4 |
| 2 | Blocked Shots | 5 |
| 3 | Corners | 3 |
| 21 | Fouls | 15 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 3 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 1 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 61.2 | Passing Success | 75.5 |
| 25 | Tackles | 20 |
| 60 | Tackles Success | 90 |
| 36.5 | Possession | 63.5 |
| 39.9 | Territorial Advantage | 60.1 |