Ryan Shawcross snatched a vital win for Stoke with six minutes to go against Boro to lift the Potters out of the bottom three.
Delap throw punishes another Premier League side
Ryan Shawcross snatched a vital win for Stoke with six minutes to go against Middlesbrough to lift the Potters out of the bottom three.
Both sides were desperately in need of a win at a tense Britannia Stadium but neither side could string more than four passes together.
Stoke struck the first blow as a Rory Delap throw was headed out by Emanuel Pogatetz only to eventually find James Beattie at the back post but his toe-poke was saved brilliantly by Brad Jones.
Middlesbrough had a great chance in the 13th minute when Andrew Taylor's whipped in cross found Tony McMahon but his header was straight into the arms of Thomas Sorensen.
A lively Tuncay Sanli then saw his curled effort flash over the bar just after the half hour mark.
Beattie could have snatched the points earlier but sent his header wide in the second half. But with just six minutes left on the clock, Shawcross directed his header past Jones from Delap's throw to claim the much-needed win.
Buzzing
The Britannia Stadium was buzzing with a mixture of anxiety and passion as both sides knew that nothing short of a win was on the job description.
Tony Pulis' side began the day in the final relegation place as Gareth Southgate's Middlesbrough found themselves in 19th spot desperate for the three points.
Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller was a boost to Pulis' side after shaking off a shoulder injury as Boro boss Southgate brought in Mohamed Shawky, Andrew Taylor and Gary O'Neil in place of the suspended Matthew Bates, injured Jeremie Aliadiere and benched Julio Arca.
However a nervy start saw neither team able to string together telling passes to trouble either Brad Jones or Thomas Sorensen between the sticks.
It wasn't until the seventh minute when the City faithful got their wish of a goal-scoring chance when a typical Delap cannon throw into the box was headed out by Pogatetz, but Salif Diao managed to flick on towards an unmarked Beattie five yards out.
The powerful striker toe-poked the ball into the far corner for the opener, but it brought out the finest of saves from Australian Jones who parried wide.
Middlesbrough pressed forward in response and defender Tony McMahon had a glorious chance to head home the opener but fired straight into the arms of Sorensen from an Andrew Taylor cross.
Ferocious encounter
The six-pointer then turned into a ferocious encounter as a lively Fuller was booked for catching Robert Huth in the face with an arm. Diao and Glenn Whelan were also booked as Stoke tried to over-power their opponents with typical City strength.
Tuncay almost snatched the lead for Middlesbrough before half-time when he cut inside from the left and flashed his effort just over the bar, with the ball landing on the top of the net.
The second-half promised more but Middlesbrough found it hard to generate much attacking momentum resulting in Southgate sending on record-signing Afonso Alves for a confidence-stricken Marlon King in the 55th minute.
The Brazilian made an immediate impact as he combined with Stewart Downing and Tuncay to set up O'Neil. The midfielder stole a yard of space to fire low towards Sorensen but the Danish keeper pushed his effort away for a corner.
O'Neil's low free-kick then somehow found its way to Tuncay at the far post but faced with a narrow angle and after a poor first touch the Turkish striker drilled into the side-netting.
Delap's throw-ins continued to cause problems for Middlesbrough, despite Southgate admitting to have trained his side previously in how to deal with them. From one of the Delap bullets into the box, Fuller headed on for Beattie who snatched at the volley and fired over the crossbar.
In the 72nd minute, Beattie headed over the best chance he had seen all afternoon when Liam Lawrence weaved his way into the penalty area and lifted an inviting cross to the far post.
Stoke's pressure finally told in the 84th minute from a familiar source. Delap hurled a right-wing throw into the penalty area and Shawcross escaped his marker to nudge home from close range.
It was Stoke's second win in three games as they continued their impressive form in front of their vociferous home fans to be three points clear of the relegation zone.
| Stoke City |
Team Statistics |
Middlesbrough |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
9 |
| 0 |
Blocked Shots |
5 |
| 5 |
Corners |
4 |
| 19 |
Fouls |
14 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 4 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 61.4 |
Passing Success |
77.9 |
| 11 |
Tackles |
17 |
| 63.6 |
Tackles Success |
70.6 |
| 35.5 |
Possession |
64.5 |
| 48.9 |
Territorial Advantage |
51.1 |
|
