A converted penalty from Jonathan Walters secured a point for Stoke City away at Norwich City in the Premier League this afternoon.
The home side took the lead at Carrow Road during the second half through Bradley Johnson, but Walters responded from 12 yards out.
He was then red-carded 12 minutes from the end, but visiting Stoke held out for a share of the spoils.
Below, Sports Mole has looked back over the contest to determine if a draw was a fair result.
Match statistics
Norwich
Shots: 13
On target: 5
Possession: 52%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 9
Stoke
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 48%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 12
Was the result fair?
In truth, it was an encounter with very little quality. There were flashes on occasions, but both teams were often wasteful in key areas of the pitch. The fact that neither goalkeeper was called upon to produce anything out of the ordinary shows just how poor both sides were in the final third. In short, they cancelled each other out and a point apiece was fair.
Norwich's performance
They may be hard to break down defensively, but going forward Norwich rarely posed a threat. Ricky van Wolfswinkel started again, but manager Chris Hughton must be running out of patience with his club-record signing. Another error from the Norwich boss was the one that saw him take off his one lively player - Wes Hoolahan. When he departed, the Canaries became a very workmanlike outfit. They are four points off the drop now and could do with a couple of victories quickly.
Stoke's performance
Mark Hughes's men were by no means brilliant, but they did at least start the match brightly and carved out a couple of decent chances that they failed to convert. Then, having drawn themselves level, they were in control of the game, only for Walters to be sent off. It meant that the remainder of the fixture was all about defending what they had and they did that with minimal fuss.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Wes Hoolahan: He may have been substituted during the second half, but no player from either side showed as much quality as Hoolahan. The Norwich playmaker was his team's creative force and tested Asmir Begovic on occasions with shots from distance. Had he been on the pitch when Stoke were reduced to 10 men, he may well have carved out a few more opportunities for the home team.
Biggest gaffe
When Walters drew Stoke level from the spot, his side looked the more likely to go on to take maximum points. Just five minutes later, though, he was back in the dressing room, having been red-carded. It must have been a rush of blood to the head because he went in high and late on Alexander Tettey, catching the Norwich midfielder on the knee in the process. It took a lot of the momentum out of Stoke's performance.
Referee performance
Andre Marriner can be pleased with his display because he got the big decisions correct. First of all he made the right call in awarding Stoke a penalty and then moments later he had little option but to brandish a red card in Walters's direction. All in all, it was a consistent afternoon's work from the man with the whistle.
What next?
Norwich: Next Saturday Hughton will take his side to the St Mary's Stadium for a clash with Southampton.
Stoke: As for the Potters, they play host to West Ham United at the Britannia Stadium on the same day.
Liam Apicella
