Relegation looms for Stoke after home draw with Burnley
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ByEurosport
Updated 22/04/2018 at 14:49 GMT
Premier League, Bet365 Stadium - Stoke 1 (Ndiaye 11) Burnley 1 (Barnes 62)
Jack Butland of Stoke City looks dejected following Burnley's first goal during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Burnley at Bet365 Stadium on April 22, 2018 in Stoke on Trent, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Stoke's position in the Premier League looks increasingly precarious after they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Burnley at the Bet365 Stadium.
Paul Lambert's side are now four points from safety, with just three games remaining and 17th-placed Swansea have a game in hand, albeit against champions Manchester City
The Potters made the perfect start as they edged in front after just 11 minutes when Badou Ndiaye’s deflected shot crept past Nick Pope into the bottom corner.
It was only Stoke’s 32nd goal of the campaign but Mame Diouf should have registered their second of the first half but he fluffed his lines as he mis-controlled Moritz Bauer’s inch-perfect cross with only the Burnley goalkeeper to beat.
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Stoke City's Papa Ndiaye celebrates scoring their first goal with team mates
Image credit: Reuters
And the strugglers were made to pay for their poor finishing as Burnley restored parity in the 62nd-minute through Ashley Barnes who bundled the ball over the line after Jack Butland had done well to keep out James Tarkowski’s header.
Desperate for victory, Stoke piled on the pressure in a bid for three much-needed points and substitute Stephen Ireland went agonisingly close to grabbing a winner in the closing stages.
Seventh-placed Burnley were hoping to leapfrog Arsenal into sixth and had a couple of chances in stoppage-time to win the match but in the end both teams had to settle for a point.
It will obviously suit Sean Dyche’s side more as they close in on a European place. Burnley are now nine points ahead of Leicester, though the Foxes have played a game fewer.
TALKING POINT
Time is running out for Stoke: Paul Lambert described this game as a ‘must-win’ for the Potters, knowing a draw wasn’t good enough. How does he pick his side up from here? They have three games remaining and will likely need to win them all to have any chance of surviving in the Premier League. Next up is a trip to Anfield. This result virtually seals their fate.
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Jack Butland of Stoke City looks dejected following Burnley's first goal during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Burnley at Bet365 Stadium on April 22, 2018 in Stoke on Trent, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
MAN OF THE MATCH
Badou Ndiaye: The Stoke midfielder never stopped running in a tireless performance which was capped with a well-taken goal.
PLAYER RATINGS
Stoke: Butland 7, Johnson 6, Shawcross 6, Martins Indi 6, Pieter 7s, Bauer 7, Allen 8, Ndiaye 8, Shaqiri 7, Diouf 5, Crouch 5. Subs: Zouma 5, Ireland 5, Campbell 5.
Burnley: Pope 7, Lowton 7, Tarkowski 7, Long 7, Ward 7, Lennon 6, Cork 7, Westwood 7, Gudmundsson 7, Wood 6, Barnes 7. Subs: Vokes 5, Hendrick 5.
KEY MOMENTS
11’ - GOAL! Stoke 1-0 Burnley: It's a dream start for Stoke! Allen's cross is deflected into the path of Ndiaye who plays a one-two with Diouf on the edge of the box. He then finds space for a shot, it takes a deflection off Long and nestles in the bottom corner.
42’ - CHANCE! What is Diouf thinking? Bauer races down the right channel and delivers an inch-perfect cross to Diouf at the back post. All he needs to do is tap it in, but he tries to take a touch and the ball slips through his legs.
54’ - GREAT SAVE! Shambolic marking from Stoke as Tarkowski is left unmarked to meet Gudmundsson's corner delivery. The header, from 15 yards, is powerful but Butland makes a really clever save.
62’ - GOAL! Stoke 1-1 Burnley: The corner is taken short before it's eventually swung in by Westwood. Tarkowski's header is saved by Butland but it's bundled over the line by Barnes. It's cruel on Stoke who need to go again.
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Ashley Barnes of Burnley (C) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Aaron Lennon (L) and Chris Wood (R) during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Burnley at Bet365 Stadium on April 22, 2018 in Stoke on Trent, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
88’ - SO CLOSE! Ireland almost finds the winner for Stoke! He receives the ball 25 yards from goal and tries to find the top corner with a curled effort, but it drifts inches wide of Butland's post. That was nearly the moment.
90'+3 - WIDE! Wood fires just wide for Burnley! And then Gudmundsson drills a low shot inches wide of Butland's post. The visitors are piling on the pressure!
KEY STATS
- Ashley Barnes has scored six goals in his last eight Premier League games, as many as his previous 44 combined.
- Badou Ndiaye is the fourth different Senegalese player to score for Stoke in the Premier League (after Diouf, Diao and Faye) - only Newcastle have had more (six).
- Stoke have gone 11 games without a Premier League win (D6, L5), the longest current run in the division.
- Burnley have only lost four of their 24 league games against teams below them in the table this season (W13, D7).
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