Have Stoke turned the corner, or are we all going round the bend??! In a bananas 2nd half Stoke went from 1-0 up to 1-2 down to 5-2 winners! Just as I predicted. Not. No one saw this coming. Here’s how it did come, unfolded in real time:
–
Michael O’Neill rings in the changes, half the team! Injuries at the back (Shawcross out), but Tyrese, Vokes & Powell leading the front line.
–
5.55 Chalobah flies over Indi, & expects (& gets) a free kick. He could have broke his neck.
–
10.10 Chalobah plays ball straight into touch. Maybe brain damage then?
–
11.55 Tyrese pushes Jaden Brown off the ball just a bit like a bully!
–
14.44 1-0 ! Just as Stoke’s attack was fizzling out, Martins Indi’s deflected cross balloons to Powell who crosses from the left for Vokes to poke home. Unexpected.
–
17.09 Huddersfield’s Bacuna is shoved off the ball in front of goal, & gets nowt. Shame.
–
36.20 Huddersfield get a corner, & a corner symbol appears on the big screen which looks like a gallows! Who will hang if the Terriers mess up this chance? Uh!!
–
45+1 Tyrese loops a shot off the bar, & McClean clips rebound wide! Should be 2-0. Could be costly.
–
HT Huddersfield 0 Underdogs 1
–
46.35 Huddersfield break & have their first real shot on target, earning a corner off a stunned Butland.
–
47.03 1-1 ! As Mounie scores a header straight from the corner.
–
49.15 1-2! Lindsay concedes a free kick on left, and Batth deflects it into the goal. Appalling. Home fans now have a reply to Stoke fans (“How **** must you be, we’re winning away!”) with (“…We’re winning at home!”).
–
55.45 Tyrese does it again! Shoves a player over
–
56.44 2-2 !! Tyrese breaks away & crosses from the right, and this time Powell slots home. I said they’d be goals. Didn’t I?
–
65.13 3-2!!! Tyrese takes advantage of Butland-like keeping by Grabara who fists McClean’s free kick on the edge of the area, leaving Campbell to lob everyone & into the empty net. Style!
–
69.30 4-2!!! Hoofed clear, headed on by Vokes, & Tyrese Campbell slides it past Grabara!!!
–
74.30 Vokes & McClean have decent chances to make it 5! Not something I expected to be saying!
–
75.55 Warning over the tannoy about offensive behaviour from fans. Swear words or racism? (“2-1 & you ****ed it up!”) Or maybe the MoN drinking song?! Turns out it’s sectarian stuff against McClean. About time!
–
80.35 Great free kick saved by Butland – Town fans thought he’d scored. Town players have a dive during the subsequent corner.
–
84.45 Gregory on for Powell. That’s a lotta strikers on!
–
89.35 5-2!!! McClean slips the ball in to Gregory to score across the keeper. Blimey! Happy New Year!
–
90+4 No need for frivolous late subs. Stoke have turned the corner!
Huddersfield 2 Stoke 5! Can hardly believe it! Can you?
–
