Another good away performance where our first goal should have really been our third. What Clark was even attempting for his miss, I've no idea but, other than the last 10 minutes, I thought we were in full control. Stoke, to me, looked like us during the dying embers of Pardew/Carver; rudderless, leaderless with a severe lack of graft. Why Allen and Adam were giving Shelvey 5-10 yards space to pick a pass out every time is a total mystery but that's the kind of shit that the likes of Wigan and Rotherham knew better to do last season ffs. They were always going to come at us in the last 10 minutes with the score being tight but if we had put Merino on instead of Hayden, I think he either scores or picks the right pass during one of those two counter attacks at the end. Still, a good performance and well deserved.
Also, what else do we need to get a penalty? Zouma practically curb stomped Gayle and nothing was given. And I should hope that the ref checks his arrogance next time when he's standing telling our lads "No chance. No way" when he sees the replay back and realises he's made a right fucking pig's arse of it. He won't though. He'll be well protected by the FA and he'll continue to make embarrassing decisions like the rest of his pals who, to a man, are as blind as a goat's arse. That's before mentioning Joe Allen making two bookable offences in the space of about 90 seconds but still playing the full 90. Refereeing decisions against us are basically systematic racism; nobody is really intending to do it, it's just been in place for years and will probably never change.