Josh Laurent Helps Steer Stoke City to Victory

SWANSEA, WALES - FEBRUARY 21: Olivier Ntcham of Swansea City runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Josh Laurent of Stoke City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea City and Stoke City at Swansea.com Stadium on February 21, 2023 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
SWANSEA, WALES - FEBRUARY 21: Olivier Ntcham of Swansea City runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Josh Laurent of Stoke City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea City and Stoke City at Swansea.com Stadium on February 21, 2023 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Give yourself a round of applause Josh Laurent because you deserve it after Tuesday’s performance against Swansea — Why stop there as well, Stoke City as whole should also take a bow with what they were able to do on Tuesday against Swansea.

Even after conceding very early in Tuesday’s match against Swansea, The Potters were able to scratch across three goals and cruise to a 3-1 victory — Thanks to two Josh Laurent goals in the 15th/19th minutes and a late Lewis Baker goal in extra-time, Stoke City grabbed a pivotal three points on the road against Swansea.

Tuesday’s win now puts Stoke City at 17th on the table with 40 points. That’s now good enough for a nine point cushion from the relegation zone, and also puts The Potters within five points of 10th on the table.

Laurent Shines Along with the Rest of Stoke City

Josh Laurent overall has had some very good performances this season. But he may have saved his best performance of the season for Tuesday’s pivotal match against Swansea. On the day, Laurent scored two goals from both of his shots on target.

Josh Laurent was also a big part of what Stoke did defensively on Tuesday, as the midfielder won four of eight ground duels and also won two of three aerial duels he was dispatched to handle. Plus, Laurent also made one clearance, had two interceptions, and completed two tackles.

And while Laurent was less then stellar in other areas on the ball (12 lost possessions and only completed 65.2% of his passes), Laurent’s contributions went the farthest to help Stoke City collect all three points.

Per SofaScore, because of his contributions above (the biggest being his two goals scored), Josh Laurent graded the highest of any player on the pitch between Swansea and Stoke City with a 9.0 rating. s