Stokes hold Foxes
Crouch comes in for Potters’ rescue
Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom), Nov. 4: Former England striker Peter Crouch came off the bench to rescue a point for Stoke City in a 2-2 draw on Saturday, denying new Leicester manager Claude Puel a second consecutive win of his young managerial reign.
The 2015-16 Premier League champions parted company with Craig Shakespeare last month after slipping into the relegation zone but have recovered strongly under caretaker boss Michael Appleton and exSouthampton boss Puel.
Against Stoke they looked dangerous and pacy on the break with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez a threat and winger Demarai Gray earning another start just days after signing a new deal at the club.
Puel’s side took the lead just after the half-hour mark when Vicente Iborra lashed home a half volley after the ball fell at his feet following a corner and had chances to pull further ahead.
First, Jack Butland saved superbly from Shinji Okazaki, in for the injured Ben Chilwell, and Iborra headed over from another corner.
But Leicester were made to rue their profligacy six minutes after Leicester’s opener when Eric Maxim ChoupoMoting played an incisive defensive-splitting ball first time into the feet of Xherdan Shaqiri, whose left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area found the net via inside the post.
Riyad Mahrez put Leicester back in front with half an hour to go moments after Kasper Schmeichel pulled off an impressive save from Ryan Shawcross. But Leicester were pegged back again when Crouch, brought on just minutes earlier, headed in a Shaqiri corner.
‘SHOULD MOAN ABOUT POGBA MORE’ Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes he deserves credit for not complaining more about Paul Pogba’s injury problems and those affecting the rest of his squad.
France midfielder Pogba has been absent for almost two months because of a hamstring injury sustained during a 3-0 Champions League victory over Basel.
Five other players — Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jesse Lingard — are currently sidelined and Mourinho says their absences should be taken into account.
“You know, I think it’s my fault because I should cry every week about our injuries and remind everybody, day after day or press conference after press conference,” he said.
“It’s my way of dealing with problems. It’s my way of trying to motivate and respect and give confidence to the players that are going to replace those people. But maybe I have to reconsider my profile. I know that I moan with a lot of things, but I don’t do with the injuries and probably I should,” he added.