Stoke collected all three points against Portsmouth thanks to a late strike from Ricardo Fuller.
Potters leave it late against Portsmouth at the Britannia
Stoke collected all three points against Portsmouth at the Britannia Stadium thanks to a late strike from Ricardo Fuller.
It was the Potters' first win in the league for almost a month but if Kevin Prince Boateng had converted a penalty in the eighth minute, after Rory Delap was penalised for a high foot on Aruna Dindane, then things could have been very different.
The Pompey midfielder's effort was tame and Thomas Sorensen comfortably dived to his left to save.
Neither side mustered anything of note throughout the game, although Dindane should have done better when he volleyed wide when unmarked in the area in the second-half.
However, for all their robust and direct ethos it was a sublime passing move that won the game for Stoke as Matthew Etherington and Dean Whitehead combined neatly to find Fuller on the edge of the area to curl home the winner.
First chance
Following the penalty miss Stoke regrouped and fathomed their first effort when Fuller controlled Salif Diao's looping header in the 13th minute, turned and volleyed wide of the right-hand post of Jamie Ashdown, David James' late replacement after injuring himself in the warm-up.
Etherington was next to go close after volleying Younes Kaboul's weak header from Delap's long throw.
Michael Brown's foul on Fuller earned the Pompey midfielder a booking and Stoke a 25-yard free-kick just left of centre, but James Beattie's low drive went around the wall and straight into the arms of Ashdown.
After a slow start Stoke had clawed their way into the ascendancy but Etherington, having switched back to his usual left-wing position, delayed his cross too long with players waiting in the middle and was eventually closed out.
Two minutes after the restart Ryan Shawcross, captain in the absence of the suspended Abdoulaye Faye, headed over from Delap's long throw.
Jamie O'Hara brought the best save of the game out of Sorensen in the 52nd minute when his 35-yard drive was tipped around the post at full stretch.
Fuller's low shot, after Whitehead had launched a counter-attack from his own penalty area, was deflected over his own crossbar by Kaboul, with Robert Huth heading the resulting corner wide.
Delap's throw then picked out Fuller at the far post but his half-hit six-yard shot was collected by Ashdown.
Stoke manager Tony Pulis had seen enough and within 12 minutes of the restart he made a double change, bringing on Liam Lawrence and Mamady Sidibe for Diao and Beattie.
Volleyed wide
Portsmouth's best chance since the penalty fell to Dindane in the 64th minute but he hooked a left-foot volley wide with only the keeper to beat from 12 yards.
The on-loan Ivory Coast international was replaced by Frederic Piquionne soon after only for Stoke to take the lead within seconds with a goal which belied their long-ball reputation.
Etherington cut in from the left and exchanged passes with Whitehead before playing the ball up to Fuller, who turned on the edge of the area to curl a shot past Ashdown and into the far corner.
Stoke are renowned strong finishers and Sidibe should have made it 2-0 moments later after Fuller and Lawrence had combined in a quick counter-attack down the right, but he skewed his shot wide of the far post.
Wilkinson's storming run from his own half almost produced the second only for him to shoot over, but one goal was enough to clinch a tight encounter.
| Stoke City |
Team Statistics |
Portsmouth |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
5 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 0 |
Blocked Shots |
6 |
| 4 |
Corners |
4 |
| 16 |
Fouls |
14 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 54.5 |
Passing Success |
69.5 |
| 20 |
Tackles |
18 |
| 75 |
Tackles Success |
77.8 |
| 41.6 |
Possession |
58.4 |
| 43.4 |
Territorial Advantage |
56.6 |
|
