Stoke City gain 3 points but lose 3 players against Boro

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City took 3 points, but have probably lost 4 key players as Boro injured them with a cynicism not seen in football for many years. Surprisingly no red cards, but the most amazing sight was Neil Warnock remonstrating with the officials after the game before being escorted away!

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Here’s what Michael O’Neill told Moorlands Radio’s Dave Lee after the game:

And here’s the rant that Neil Warnock went into after the game:

And Here’s the game everyone else saw unfolding in real time:

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These two teams are inseparable: they start the game one point apart, and were both fighting relegation over the summer when Boro won this fixture. So a good litmus test for who’s ready for the playoffs. Surely not Neil Warnock. The Potters won’t stand for that!

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1.35 Sam Morsy trips up Sam Clucas and somehow avoids punishment. If only the Stoke crowd were here to voice their opinion on the ex-Valer. Clucas looks like he might be able to continue. The replay makes Morsy out to be a real villain, pushing & treading on Clucas.

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5.27 Tyrese barges Johnson off the ball in a typical manoeuvre for him.

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7.38 Josh Tymon replaces Clucas.

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18.25 1-0 !!! Nathan Collins heads home!! A free kick from the right rebounds to Fox on the left, and he crosses again for Nath to head home, much to his surprise! He can’t believe it…well, nor can we.

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26.01 Some awful tackles from Boro, not sure I’m surprised. This one results in Chuba Akpom almost heading past his own keeper, who has to stretch to palm it away. Shame. That would have been funny. (“Chuba Akpom (og)”)

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37.45 Somehow Bursik saves, but it’s Batth who has to throw himself in front of a certain goal. Phew. Boro starting to knock the ball around with some flare.

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45+3 HT Stoke 1 Warnock’s Rough Boys 0

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49.01 Tyrese sets up Fox (of all people) on the edge of the box, but his right foot is nothing to write home about and it flies over from 17 yards. Weak.

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51.33 Tyrese bursts through (via Powell & Brown) but somehow keeper Bettinelli saves, even from a tight angle.

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56.48 Bursik goes off on holiday to just short of the corner flag to retrieve a back pass from Fox after Joe’s curious first touch! He’s almost in another tier being that far out!

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59.25 Nasty shove on Batth by Akpom… and again the ref takes no action. Unimpressed!

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61.58 Former Vale player Sam Morsy is replaced by former Pulis signing Britt Assombalonga.

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66.50 Ryan Shawcross IS BACK, on for Danny Batth. Ryan takes the rainbow coloured captain’s armband.

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68.10 Tyrese is booked for tossing the ball away. Despite him doing it in style, the ref is unimpressed. Saville is then booked for overreaching in his challenge on Powell. Nick stays down, and Michael O’Neill is furious with all these challenges: Clucas, Batth and now Powell.

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72.00 Tyrese robs the defender and brings out a save from Bettinelli. Powell goes down again and stays down. O’Neill vs Warnock after the game will be interesting!

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75.20 Oakley-Boothe on for Powell.

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78.31 Jacob Brown lurches in and is booked, followed by Cousins setting up Tyrese to blast over.

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81.00 Chester takes a shot on his chest. Another great block. If Stoke can hang on, they’ll be 6th…

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82.37 Jacob Brown flattened by another poor challenge, and MON is going mad with the fourth official etc. Rory Delap has to come over to calm him down!

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90+1 Shawcross concedes unnecessary free kick right in the centre… Hit straight at the wall, thankfully!

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90+4 Bola yellow carded in another cynical tackle.

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90+8 FT Stoke Wounded 1 Boro Bully Boys 0