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[mcscooby]

Wolves mauled by superb Stoke
Sat 09 Feb, 06:31 PM


Championship high-fliers Stoke kept their promotion bid on track after surviving a scare to defeat Wolves 4-2 at Molineux.A topsy-turvy game saw Rory Delap head the visitors in front in the fourth minute before goals either side of half-time from Rob Edwards and Andy Keogh swung the game in Wanderers' favour.

But Liam Lawrence soon restored parity before goals from Leon Cort and Ricardo Fuller ensured City kept their automatic promotion hopes alive.

The result leaves them in fourth place, just two points behind new leaders Watford, while Wolves were left further adrift of the play-off places.

Mick McCarthy handed a first start to loan signing Kevin Kyle, while the Potters' leading scorer Fuller was forced to settle for a place on the bench.

Delap was quickly in the thick of the action, swinging a deep outswinging corner to the far post in the second minute which Edwards did well to clear.

Just two minutes later the visitors had the lead when Mamady Sidibe took advantage of some slack defending before beating Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to the ball and crossing for Delap, who headed into the empty net.

Tony Pulis' side continued to dominate proceedings early on.

First Paul Gallagher blazed over from the edge of the area and in the 14th minute Cort failed to find the target from six yards from another excellent Delap corner.

Winger Matt Jarvis initially posed Wanderers' principal threat as he tried to spark his side into action.

Both sides were happy to try their luck from long range but neither goalkeeper was troubled by efforts from Potters pair Glenn Whelan and Salif Diao or recent Wolves signings David Edwards and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

It was the former Plymouth striker who looked the most likely man to add to his tally of 13 goals this season with two well-struck efforts superbly blocked by Ryan Shawcross and Steve Simonsen.

The City goalkeeper had to be at his best to cut out one superb cross from Jarvis, punching the ball to safety.

But there was nothing he could do moments before half-time when defender Edwards volleyed into the bottom-left corner to pull the home side level.

The recovery appeared to be complete just two minutes after the break when Wanderers' front two combined well.

Kyle headed down for Keogh, who held off the challenge of Gabriel Zakuani and fired into the right corner from 12 yards.

But in keeping with what was a pulsating clash, the lead was to last just two minutes.

Gallagher laid the ball off to Lawrence, who unleashed a rasping drive into the top-right corner after 49 minutes to make it 2-2.

Cort came to the rescue in the 56th minute when he blocked a Keogh shot and 18 minutes later he was the hero at the other end.

The Potters defender converted Sidibe's flick-header from six yards out to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Another well-timed block denied midfielder David Edwards as the Potters defended admirably, while Simonsen saved Kyle's header comfortably.

Victory was sewn up by substitute Fuller deep into injury-time when he fired into the left corner from 12 yards to complete a thrilling comeback which boosted City's promotion credentials.

[tazi]

Nice one, cheers.