Stoke City 1-2 Crystal Palace
Two second half goals guaranteed Roy Hodgson’s Eagles Premier League survival, but it meant misery for Stoke who head to the Championship.
After Xherdan Shaqiri gave the Potters a first half lead, home fans hoped their heroes could defy betting odds with a daring escape, but if they backed Stoke with their football bets it was double trouble.
Palace had won six of the nine previous Premier League football games between these two, but for a while it seemed the Potters would keep alive their hopes of prolonging a ten-year stay in the Premier League.
The first half was a nervous affair short on quality, though Joe Allen was at his industrious best at the heart of Stoke’s midfield; and the first big chance came on 22 minutes when Xherdan Shaqiri crossed for Mame Biram Diouf who glanced his header agonisingly wide. But the roof came off the Stadium minutes before half time, when Shaqiri won a free-kick, and then hit a peach into the top corner, with a little help from Ruben Loftus Cheek’s deflection.
It was always going to be a torturous second half for Stoke fans and, after Palace began to take control, Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha causing panic in the Stoke defence, it was no surprise when the Eagles drew level. James McArthur was the unlikely finisher of a sweeping attack which silenced the Stoke faithful, knowing they had to climb the mountain again.
But they never even made base camp, as Palace looked the more likely to score, Zaha and Christian Benteke missing good chances. And then, with five minutes on the clock Patrick Van Aanholt finally put the Potters out of their misery.
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