Stoke City finally ended their run of four Premier League games without a win, since beating Norwich in January, with a dominant display against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth.
Mark Hughes side held on for the win away from home despite Matt Ritchie’s goal for the home team and new record signing Giannelli Imbula looked sharp for the Potters after his brilliant opening goal in the first half ensured a revitalised Stoke side who look to have finally put their troubles behind them.
Potters back on track?
The last few weeks have been difficult for the Potters. A string of lacklustre performances and a dwindling of passion and spirit on the pitch embodied Mark Hughes’ side in the past few weeks. However, after their trip down South it seems that the red and white side have finally turned a corner.
Stoke had to wait six hours and twenty one minutes for a Premier League goal, the worst drought they have experienced for 31 years. But that record was soon dismissed with an impressive early display and Imbula was to be the man to send Stoke back into a state of confidence as substitutes Joselu and Ibrahim Allefay scored twice in quick succession to condemn Bournemouth to defeat.
Not to distract from the spirit of Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth whose changes at half-time, bringing on Joshua King and Matt Ritchie, finally got the home side playing much more impressive football as Ritchie’s superb shot beat Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland to reduce the arrears.
What changed this weekend?
Stoke certainly looked the part as evidenced by scoring two goals in quick succession from the 52nd minute, as the travelling side held on for a much -eserved and required three points, and their first away win of 2016.
The biggest change from this game and the last few dismal performances has to be the level of commitment exhibited by the players. The Stoke side finally showed the level of performances expected of them and asked questions of the Bournemouth defence all game. Jon Walters was pivotal in this game, holding the ball up for his teammates time and again and proving a reliable source of Stoke's quality this game.
Notorious players Bojan and Marco Arnautovic were worryingly left absent from the game. However fans need not have worried as Joselu and Allefay certainly stepped up to the plate in their absence to help end a disappointing run of form.
With Stoke having regained some of their old self, the future looks promising for the remainder of the season and the next few upcoming fixtures for the side will surely only boost the regained confidence of the players as they face struggling Aston Villa and Newcastle United respectively. More wins are a must in order to maintain hopes of a top-half finish.