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Stoke score 2, but fall to Norwich in controversial comeback

By Matt Bernstein

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 24: Sam Clucas of Stoke City and Ben Gibson of Norwich City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Norwich City at Bet365 Stadium on November 24, 2020 in Stoke on Trent, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 24: Sam Clucas of Stoke City and Ben Gibson of Norwich City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Norwich City at Bet365 Stadium on November 24, 2020 in Stoke on Trent, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Stoke score 2, but fall to Norwich in controversial comeback

We saw Stoke score 2 late goals after Norwich went down a man in the 69′, but the effort was not enough to erase a 3 goal deficit. Norwich seemed to be in complete control early in the second half as Teemu Pukki slid in his second goal of the night in the 57′ giving the Canaries a 3 goal lead.

Then the match was flipped upside-down in matter of minutes as Buendia was sent off for Norwich and, in what seemed like just a few seconds later, Tyrese Campbell cracked a header to put Stoke on the board. Nathan Collins then added momentum to the comeback with a goal in the 79′. In the end, Stoke’s effort was not enough, but the tail end of the match did not come without controversy.

The play in question saw Lee Gregory called for a foul on keeper Michael McGovern. Replay showed that Gregory was not only being held, but also that the Norwich keeper was completely out of position and scrambling to regain ground. In hindsight, this should have evened up the match. Watching this live, I could not help but thinking back to seeing Angus Gunn being basically tackled while going for a ball against Watford where no foul was given, and a goal was awarded.

You hate to see a match come down to officiating, but tonight truly did. Stoke will be left sour going into the weekend.

Takeaways

  • It was far too easy for Norwich to thread balls in behind our back line. If Stoke are going to continue to play a high back line, they need to keep better pressure on the ball and force quick passes. Today we saw Pukki running across our back line, just waiting to be played through and he was able to capitalize.
  • Tyrese Campbell extended his scoring streak, he’s now had a goal or assist in 4 straight matches.
  • Steven Fletcher went down with an injury in the first half and was replaced by Lee Gregory.
  • Disappointed to see Josh Tymon subbed out at halftime. After a strong start to the year, he seems to be out of favor at the moment.
  • Joe Bursik look suspect in the second goal of the night, getting beat on a tight angle. Something to keep in mind as Stoke are rumored to be signing a veteran keeper.
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