Stoke City climbed out of the relegation zone in the Premier League table on Sunday thanks to a dramatic 3-3 draw at Swansea City.
Jonathan Walters and Stephen Ireland put the visitors 2-0 in front at half time before Wilfried Bony got Swansea back into the match soon after the break.
Goals from substitute Nathan Dyer and Bony then looked to have won the match for the home side, but a controversial late penalty from Charlie Adam secured the Potters a share of the spoils.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the two teams in South Wales.
Match statistics:
Swansea:
Shots 17
On target 6
Possession 65%
Corners 14
Fouls 12
Stoke:
Shots 6
On target 3
Possession 35%
Corners 3
Fouls 15
Was the result fair?
Despite Swansea turning the game around and leading with just seconds remaining, Stoke were good value for a point. Both teams fought hard during what was a feisty encounter, but neither did enough to win it outright.
Swansea's performance
The Swans were poor in the first half as they looked like a pale imitation of the team that they can be. The passing was sloppy, while the finishing was even worse. For a while it looked like their carelessness in front of goal was going to cost them, but that all changed after the break when they got their act together and started to cause Stoke plenty of problems with a more direct approach.
Stoke's performance
The Potters looked rampant during the opening 45 minutes with Peter Crouch, Jonathan Walters and Stephen Ireland all threatening constantly. The visitors attacked with real menace and could even have grabbed another goal before the break. However, they were on the back foot for much of the second half after letting Swansea back into the match. Stoke are sure to be happy with a point, but they will also be aware that they threw this match away.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Asmir Begovic: He may have conceded three goals, but the Stoke goalkeeper did well to prevent Swansea moving out of sight in the second half. He also caused some confusion in the opposing penalty area in the final seconds as the visitors won a penalty and a point.
Biggest gaffe
Among the many scuffles between both sets of players, one incident involving Chico Flores was simply embarrassing. The Swansea defender went down clutching his face after an altercation with Steven Nzonzi when, in reality, he had hardly been touched. How do these people sleep at night?
Referee performance
Robert Madley did so much that was impressive throughout the match as he controlled what was an aggressive contest with admirable authority. However, he blotted his copybook right at the death by awarding Stoke a soft penalty.
What next?
Swansea: The Swans return to Premier League action on Saturday when they make the trip to struggling Fulham.
Stoke: The Potters continue their Premier League campaign next Saturday when they welcome Sunderland to the Britannia Stadium.
Jack Prescott
