Stoke City finally came up with a good result and it was at the expense of Manchester United. The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 scoreline at Old Trafford by Mark Hughes’ side putting more pressure on Jose Mourinho.
Manchester United dominated the possession the game as they had 67% of the ball to be precise and had as many as 23 shots out of which only nine were on target. However, they couldn’t secure a cushion and considering the talent Stoke have in their lineup, they always had a chance even though their attack has been pretty subdued
Jose Mourinho made two substitutions in the second half in the form of Rooney and Martial with a hope to change his team’s fortunes and it was Martial who got the breakthrough past through a stubborn Stoke City defence and more importantly Lee Grant who had a memorable afternoon between the sticks.
Manchester United’s joy was short-lived as Joe Allen was at the right place at the right time to capitalise on a rare goalkeeping error from David de Gea.
Here are the player ratings for stoke City from the game.
Lee Grant: 8.5/10
Deservedly got the match ball. Made as many as eight saves in the game.
Glen Johnson: 6/10
Struggled to cope up with the raw pace of Rashford. Did not burst forward too much. However, Stoke City’s equaliser came because of his shot from distance that troubled de Gea.
Ryan Shawcross: 7/10
Was solid defensively, especially in the dying minutes. Made as many as 11 clearances.
Bruno Martins Indi: 6.5/10
Made as many as 11 clearances and some brilliant interceptions. Almost scored with a brilliant header from a Shaqiri free-kick.
Erik Pieters: 6/10
Had a poor game and his job became tougher when Rashford switched to the right.
Geoff Cameron: 6.5/10
Had a good game in the middle of the park winning possession. However, needs to be more clinical in front of the goal.
Glenn Whelan: 5.5/10
Broke United’s game very well but did not have too much joy with his passing. Only completed 65.7% of his passes.
Joe Allen: 8/10
Did everything that a midfielder is supposed to do. Full of energy. Won the ball. Passed well and most importantly scored the vital equaliser.
Xherdan Shaqiri: 6/10
A poor game from the Swiss international. Showed rare glimpses of quality but was too sloppy with the ball. His set-piece delivery was brilliant, though.
Marko Arnautovic: 5.5/10
A dismal performance from the Austrian. Looked too casual on the ball and lost in in most occasions.
Wilfred Bony: 5/10
Was largely anonymous throughout the game.
