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Sandy Macaskill at Daily Telegraph |
Stoke City 3 Fulham 2
Throughout yesterday Stoke City had hunkered down in the eye of the storm. Evening came, and the forecasted blizzard finally arrived in the shape of a storming home win.
The festive season has been torrid for Stoke manager Tony Pulis. Poor form had left him pleading for luck - a desperate sign if ever there was - and another game without a result would have left him under pressure.
However, Stoke have their first league win since November, largely thanks to their strongest weapon - the set-piece - and Tuncay. The Turkish forward came off injured, but 40 minutes was all he needed to tear Fulham apart.
Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey struck in the second half, but it was not enough and Fulham's misery was compounded by the loss of Bobby Zamora with a dislocated shoulder.
No one had missed the irony that amid all the postponements, the Britannia, generally agreed to be the coldest stadium in the country, was the one to remain operational. Fulham manager Roy Hodgson attempted a pre-game pitch inspection but quickly retreated to the dressing room.
The Britannia is unpleasant for the opposition at the best of times; in a snow storm it really sucks. One wag in the crowd lobbed a snowball into the Fulham technical area, as if to really hammer home the point.
The reason is because Stoke have only been beaten at home by Chelsea, Manchester United and Birmingham City this season. But that fine record has been offset by their meagre return in front of goal going into this game: 15 goals in 19 games, with only two in the past six, both of scored nearly a month ago.
Much has been made of their reluctance to try something other than moon-balls, but in Tuncay they have another angle. It was he who led the charge down the other end after Danny Murphy had come close with a free-kick, winning himself a corner in the process.
The delivery arrived at Robert Huth, who headed wide, but Tuncay was well placed at the far post, sidestepping Paul Konchesky to head in from close range.
It was not Konchesky's night. The defender was responsible for Stoke's second too, his body-check on Liam Lawrence - which directly led to the goal - stupid for two reasons; first because it was so obvious, second because it was totally unnecessary.
Matthew Etherington's free-kick found an unmarked Abdoulaye Faye at the far post. You would have thought Fulham might have learned.
If the first two goals had been direct, Stoke's third was more fancy, Tuncay again the architect. Screaming from his own half to the edge of the Fulham area, the former Middlesbrough man laid it back to Etherington to cross. Danny Higginbotham headed across goal, and Mamady Sidibe beat Brede Hangeland and volleyed in.
It was not until the 61st minute that Fulham regained hope, Duff's shot deflecting nastily off Ryan Shawcross. Dempsey, on for the injured Zamora, looped a shot over Steve Simonsen in the 85th minute, sending Stoke heart-rates spiralling. "It was bit nervy," Pulis said.
The 150 away fans who negotiated snow drifts on their journey from London and back, were gluttons for punishment. A 320-mile round trip, all to see their side's worst defensive display of the season. Brutal.
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