Stoke 1 West Brom 1: Salomon Rondon saves the day for Tony Pulis in his 1000th game in management

WEST BROM celebrated Tony Pulis' thousandth game as a boss with a performance in the mould of their manager. 

The Welshman was roundly applauded before the match by the Stoke supporters as he returned his former club.

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Throughout the game it looked like the most likely result would be a trademark Tony Pulis goalless draw, but then Joe Allen found the net from 7 yards in the 73rd minute.

However Salomon Rondon equalised with a 91st minute header to leave the Potters winless and rooted in the bottom three.

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FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

• Xherdan Shaqiri handed Stoke a timely boost, returning from a six match absence with a calf injury, suffered in the opening game of the season.
• Mark Hughes axed veteran goalie Shay Given and replaced him with summer signing from Derby, Lee Grant.
• Tony Pulis received a rapturous reception from STOKE fans as he made his entrance for his 1000th game as a manager
• Stoke had hit the bottom of the Premier League for only the third time in their history, after four straight defeats. It was fingers out time for Hughes’ Potters.

  

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• The Potters looked bright enough in the opening period with Joe Allen pushing right up to support Wilfried Bony, who has looked isolated lately.
• Bony averaged a goal in every other game for Swansea – his rate slumped to one in four for Manchester City – right now one a month seems ambitious!
• Another game another Stoke grievance with a referee. Matt Phillips sent Erik Pieters sprawling in the box – they had a point, it looked a stone-waller to me.
• Peter Crouch received a huge ovation when he replaced Bony after an hour – said more about Bony than Crouch really.
  

  

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• A second Phillips challenge in the box once again sent Pieters sprawling. It didn’t look a penalty – but Tony Pulis almost immediately told Phillips to swap wings with James McClean. Coincidence?
• A rare Baggies raid saw Nacer Chadli sting Lee Grant’s gloves with a long-range dipper, the keeper looked none too convincing with.

BIG PICTURE

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DREAM TEAM RATINGS

STOKE: Grant 6, Johnson 6, Shawcross 6, Martins Indi 6, Pieters 6, Cameron 6, Allen 8 (Adam 86, 5), Whelan 6, Arnautovic 6, Bony 6 (Crouch 61, 6), Shaqiri 7 (Diouf 88, 5)

Goals: Allen 73

Booked: Whelan, Shawcross, Adam

WEST BROM: Foster 5, Dawson 7, McAuley 6, Evans 6, Nyom 6, Phillips 6 (Leko 88, 6), Fletcher 6, Yacob 6 (Morrison 78, 6), McClean 6 (Robson-Kanu 77, 6), Chadli 6, Rondon 7

Goals: Rondon 91

Booked: Chadli, Yacob, Dawson

STAR MAN: Joe Allen (Stoke)

WHAT THEY SAID

Stoke boss Mark Hughes: "It's another point on the board. We didn't do too much wrong. I can't complain about our play, they put everything into it."

West Brom boss Tony Pulis: "We haven't got the array of talent like they have but the work rate they put in was fantastic. We've got a fit group who never give up."