Stoke (1) 2 WBA (0) 1 – 8/8/23 7.45 (Carabao)
Subs Vidigal & Gayle combined to score the winner sending Stoke through against arch rivals Albion in a surprisingly entertaining game. Two wins out of two for Stoke. Who’d have thought?! Here’s how the game unfolded in real time:
SIX changes for City (9 for Albion), with Sol Sidibe making a starting debut. Newbies McNally, Chiquinho and Wesley start, whilst Baggies start Erik The Viking Pieters at the back!! Scarily, Dwight Gayle appears on the bench like an apparition!
4.25 Luke McNally gets a yellow as 3 Stoke players take out an Albion midfielder. Rather unnecessary.
11.52 Keeper Josh Griffiths having more to do than Stoke’s Mark Travers, but JoshG breaking the cardinal sin by dressing in the same outfit as the ref: all black, including stockings. #clash
16.56 Hoever hits another volley, but this time its deflected for a corner. The expectation for Ki-Jana is now rather high after his spectacular strike last Saturday.
19.05 Mmaee and Chiquinho show super dribbling skills in the box, backed by Sidibe, whose shot is deflected wide. Chiquinho is then fouled, but the ref waves that on, plus a hand-ball claim in the box. Stoke fans have taken against him.
26.18 1-0 !!!! Wesley blasts the ball, but keeper Griffiths fumbles it over the line. It’s been given as an own-goal, so maybe the post was involved!
31.05 Erik Pieters is yellowed for standard Pieters challenge on Chiquinho. Feel sorry for the kid!
40.04 Great skill by Jordan Thompson who even tries a volley himself! One of his best games for a long time. Sidibe is everywhere, Chiquinho is getting stuck in, Ryan Mmaee is proving lively on the left, and Tymon is being tricky on the left.
44.40 Baby Sidibe gets a yellow for blocking a free kick being taken. Again, extremely tenuous.
45+3 HT 1-0
48.20 Chiquinho shows his silky skills, breaking through and trying to turn the defenders and the keeper, but only wins a corner.
Attendance 10,583
52.30 Hoever trying too many cross field balls, although the Baggies are easily worried by them.
53.40 After Wesley is thrown to the floor, and play waved on, Hoever clears off the line, and Travers actually has to make a save (a shot from distance). Albion fans wake up briefly.
56.30 Ref really getting it the neck for his decisions, but it’s end-to-end stuff.
60.30 Dwight Gayle. Daniel Johnson and Andre Vidigal on for Wesley, Mmaee and Chiquinho.
63.10 1-1 !! Hoever and Laurent caught on the ball on the right, the ball is crossed in by Capt Conor Townsend and Brandon Thomas-Asante flicks past Travers.
64.37 2-1 !!! Stoke break and Vidigal finishes a beautiful move from close range to bring the house down. Assist by Gayle! Excellent.
77.38 Thomas-Asante penalised for lying on the floor…well, for handball on the floor. Don’t see them given often. Albion starting to press, and Stoke taking a physical beating, non more so than Tymon who looked like he’d dislocated his shoulder.
84.37 Laurent intercepts an Albion break, beats a player, runs into space then toe-pokes a shot just wide. Soooo cool.
87.15 Ben Pearson replaces Sol Sidibe.
90+1 Michael Rose on for Thompson. SEVEN minutes added!
90+2 Laurent breaks again, only his shot is right right at the keeper. Meanwhile Vidigal sets up Gayle, whose flick slips wide. Vidigal has a clear cut chance blocked.
90+7 FT 2-1!!! Stoke through to the 2nd round.
