Stoke 1-2 Southampton: Match Report
Featured News Southampton Stoke
Posted by Featured Articles | Published on March 13, 2016
Graziano Pelle’s first goals of 2016 fired Southampton to a 2-1 win over Stoke City at the Brittania.
The Italian international had not scored in over four months before grabbing a brace to award the three points to Ronald Koeman’s side. The last time the forward wheeled away celebrating a goal was November 1st. The barren run of thirteen games without netting came to an end at a great time for Saints with his goals securing the win.
Pelle opened the scoring just after the ten minute mark converting a corner from Steven Davis and flicking a header past Jack Butland.
With renewed confidence the Italian smashed home a second on the half hour mark. Pelle drove the ball low into the goal after being played in by Dusan Tadic.
Saints held a deserved 2-0 lead heading into half time.
This wasn’t to last though with sporadic superstar Marko Arnautovic relit a fire under Stoke by pulling it back to 2-1 on 52 minutes for his 11th of the year. Ibrahim Affelay drilled in a low cross which was converted by the Austrian international.
Stoke searched for an equaliser with Arnautovic close to getting a brace of his own and only Virgil van Dijk could prevent Mame Biram Diouf from levelling the score.
Southampton prodigy James Ward-Prowse came off the bench and almost sealed the win when his free-kick rattled off the woodwork in the 87th minute.
Another Saints’ sub, Sadio Mane, had an impact for an altogether different reason. The winger was controversially sent off following a coming together with Belgian full-back Erik Pieters. The red card was the third in Southampton’s last six matches.
Stoke desperately tried to score late on to salvage a point but were unable to test Fraser Forster. The win has helped Southampton leapfrog the Potters into seventh in the Premier League table.