Stoke City have made light work of a lacklustre Tottenham Hotspur side, the Potters cruising to a 3-0 win in their Premier League clash at the Britannia Stadium.
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The visitors were quickest out of the starting blocks, but their opponents registered the first real effort of the game five minutes in as Hugo Lloris palmed a fierce 18-yard strike by Marc Muniesa over the bar.
Stoke continued to pile on the pressure and were soon in front when Jan Vertonghen's miscued header 21 minutes in fell into the path of Charlie Adam on the six-yard line, allowing the midfielder to nod the ball home.
Spurs could have been level just three minutes later, however, as Erik Lamela's free kick into the Stoke area fell to Muniesa, who headed against his own bar.
The hosts recovered from that scare to double their lead in the 32nd minute. Lloris and defender Eric Dier got in each other's way while defending a lofted Stoke ball into the area and midfielder Steven N'Zonzi poked home with a smart finish.
Mauricio Pochettino's charges began the second half with intent as a Christian Eriksen effort from long range stung the palms of Jack Butland.
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Spurs were then hit with a major setback when Vlad Chiriches was sent off after bundling Mame Biram Diouf to the ground and incurring a second yellow card.
The dismissal actually invigorated the visitors for a spell as they had Stoke camped in their own half, but normal service resumed around the hour mark, with Adam stinging the palms of Lloris following a clever run.
Stoke appeared content to take their foot off the gas as the game went on, although Jonathan Walters wasted a straightforward chance with eight minutes to go, firing straight at Lloris from six yards out.
Nevertheless, the Potters managed to get their third goal in the latter stages of the game when Diouf attacked the near post to force the ball over the line following Marko Arnautovic's cross.
The result sees Stoke climb to ninth in the Premier League table, while Spurs remain sixth and at risk of missing out on the Europa League.
Giuseppe Labellarte
