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.

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.

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.
• 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.

  Reuters

• 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

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.”