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Stoke City knock out Sunderland thanks to Marc Muniesa’s double Stoke City knock out Sunderland thanks to Marc Muniesa’s double
(about 1 hour later)
As befits a Barcelona academy graduate Marc Muniesa prides himself on an extremely fluid interpretation of the left-back role and his attacking inclinations certainly served Stoke City well.As befits a Barcelona academy graduate Marc Muniesa prides himself on an extremely fluid interpretation of the left-back role and his attacking inclinations certainly served Stoke City well.
Muniesa’s two excellent goals offered Stoke City a passage into the fourth round at the expense of last season’s losing finalists on a night when Stephen Ireland showed his class but the visitors could easily have had Steven N’Zonzi sent off for retaliation following a nasty Jack Rodwell tackle. Muniesa’s excellent goals offered Mark Hughes’s side passage into the fourth round at the expense of last season’s losing finalists on a night when Stephen Ireland showed his class but the visitors should really have had Steven N’Zonzi sent off for retaliation following a reckless Jack Rodwell tackle.
The first half served as a reminder of precisely what a clever footballer Ireland is. Stoke’s attacking midfielder, recalled after injury, was invariably at the heart of the game’s best moves but it was Sunderland who took the lead. The tie served as a reminder of precisely what a clever footballer Ireland is. Stoke’s attacking midfielder, recalled after injury, was invariably at the heart of the game’s best moves but it was Sunderland who took the lead.
After early scares involving only slightly off-target shots from Billy Jones and Rodwell, Mark Hughes’s side had been seeming to get the measure of their hosts when the lively Will Buckley cued up Jozy Altidore.The United States striker has spent the majority of his time on Wearside in goal-shy mode, accruing labels as “a poor man’s Emile Heskey” and, rather more cruelly, “Dozy Anti-score” but Altidore returned from the World Cup in a determined mood. With Connor Wickham rested and Steven Fletcher injured, he enjoyed a rare start and delighted in silencing his critics with a fine, low right foot shot which proved too good for Jack Butland. After surviving early scares involving marginally off-target shots from Billy Jones and Rodwell, Hughes’s players had been seeming to get the measure of their hosts when the lively Will Buckley cued up Jozy Altidore.
As Ireland increasingly exposed Liam Bridcutt’s rustiness in the holding midfield role for Gus Poyet’s team – Lee Cattermole was on the bench – Sunderland’s lead looked fragile. The United States striker has spent the majority of his time on Wearside in goal-shy mode but with Connor Wickham and Steven Fletcher absent, he enjoyed a rare start and delighted in confounding some doubters thanks to a low, right-foot shot directed beyond Jack Butland. Yet, with Ireland increasingly exposing Liam Bridcutt’s rustiness in the holding midfield role, Sunderland’s lead looked fragile.
It disappeared when the impressive Muniesa emphasised he is a most attacking, positionally flexible, left- back by popping up in the box and, courtesy of fine approach work from Oussama Assaidi and Robert Huth, equalising with a Costel Pantilimon-evading, left-foot shot. It disappeared once Muniesa emphasised he is an attacking, positionally flexible, left-back by popping up in the box and, courtesy of fine approach work from Oussama Assaidi and Robert Huth, equalising with a left-foot shot. “Muniesa’s a technically gifted footballer who makes the right decisions in different areas of the pitch,” Hughes said.
Galvanised into action, Sunderland would have restored their advantage had Butland not diverted brilliantly an Adam Johnson free-kick and they should have been playing against 10 men when N’Zonzi was guilty of a red card offence. Sunderland would have restored their advantage had Butland not performed wonders to divert an Adam Johnson free-kick and saw fortune frown again when N’Zonzi got away with that red card offence. Incredibly, the midfielder escaped with a yellow after grabbing Rodwell – who was also booked – by the throat and shaking him in response to an admittedly bad tackle from the Sunderland player.
Incredibly, the Stoke midfielder escaped with a yellow card after grabbing Rodwell by the throat and shaking him in response to an admittedly bad tackle from the Sunderland player. As team-mates from both sides piled in, the referee Mike Dean needed to disperse quite a melee before booking the pair. As team-mates from both sides piled in, Mike Dean dispersed what was becoming a melee. The resultant annoyance galvanised Sunderland and Hughes had reason to be grateful to Butland when the goalkeeper reacted smartly to deny Buckley.
Home fans were disgusted but their mood would have darkened further had Mame Biram Diouf been inches more accurate with a stupendous long-range shot that threatened to creep just inside an upright. With N’Zonzi – who despite his highly unprofessional overreaction had reason to be angered by Rodwell’s reckless challenge – also going close, Poyet’s men lived a little dangerously. “We controlled the first half and asked Sunderland a lot of questions but Jack was excellent,” said Stoke’s manager, who thought Dean made the right decision regarding N’Zonzi.
When a corner was only half cleared they fell behind. Muniesa cut in from the left, shrugging Johnson aside before once again beating Pantilimon with a left-foot shot, directed, this time, into the top corner. Hughes though had reason to be grateful to his keeper, Butland having, earlier, reacted smartly to deny Buckley. Despite their second-half rally Gus Poyet’s players continued to live dangerously and when a corner was only half cleared they fell behind. Muniesa cut in from the left, shrugging Johnson – who claimed he was fouled – aside before once again beating Costel Pantilimon with another left-foot shot, directed, this time, into the top corner.
“I don’t think we played too bad,” said Poyet, who did not seem overly heartbroken but remained mystified by N’Zonzi’s reprieve, declaring: “Everybody could see it was a red.”