Manchester City 1-1 Stoke City
Shaun Wright-Phillips celebrates after scoring City's goal
Saturday, 13, Feb 2010 07:08
By Matt Hallam.
Stoke will take Manchester City back to the Britannia Stadium for an FA Cup fifth round replay after Ricardo Fuller's second-half equaliser.
Shaun Wright Phillips put City into an early lead at Eastlands, however, they failed to capitalise on their early promise and were punished in the second-half when Fuller headed in Rory Delap's long throw.
Both teams looked to avoid a replay as they pressed for a winner but saves from Shay Given and Thomas Sorensen kept the scores level.
City started brightly with Wayne Bridge and Martin Petrov sending dangerous crosses in from the left that Sorensen dealt with well.
The home side opened the scoring after 10 minutes though thanks to some poor defending from Stoke. Wright Phillips lifted Stephen Ireland's long ball over Sorensen and although Ryan Shawcross appeared to have got back to clear the ball, he slipped and the ball bounced off his head and back into the path of Wright Phillips to tap in.
Stoke's disastrous start was then made worse when Matthew Etherington with a knee injury and replaced by Liam Lawrence.
The visitors looked to put themselves back on level terms with Fuller sending two efforts over the bar before Lawrence saw his half-volley blocked by Bridge after Tuncay had escaped Pablo Zabaleta on the left and sent a cross to the back post.
Danny Higginbotham then sent Given scrambling across his goal with a dipping drive from 30-yards that flew just wide of the City goalkeeper's right-hand post.
Stoke couldn't find the target though and Tony Pulis was forced to make his second substitution of the game before half-time when Etherington's replacement Lawrence went down injured with Delap replacing the Irishman.
And Delap created the chance for Stoke to pull level after the break, sending a trademark long throw into the box for Ricardo Fuller to head past Given.
Roberto Mancini sent on Roque Santa Cruz to join Emmanuel Adebayor upfront in response, however City seemed unable to recapture the attacking threat they had displayed in the first-half.
Meanwhile Stoke's Glenn Whelan tested Given with a powerful drive from 30-yards after being teed up by Tuncay.
City began to dominate posession in the final quarter of the game and Sorensen made a terrific save to keep Gareth Barry's header out. Santa Cruz then had a shot cleared of the line by Shawcross in added time.
Neither team could find a winning goal, forcing a replay neither manager will have wanted, which will be played on Wednesday 24 February.