STOKE REVIVAL TURNS INTO A SOBH STORY
Ramadan’s equaliser rescues a point but Hughes complains his men get no luck after Shawcross injury
ALL Mark Hughes wants for Christmas is a change of luck.
Hughes bemoaned Stoke’s lack of good fortune after losing skipper Ryan Shawcross with a calf injury and being denied a penalty.
The Stoke boss was adamant they should have had a spot-kick when Christopher Schindler took Mame Biram Diouf ’s feet from under him.
Hughes was dismissive of Huddersfield’s penalty claim minutes earlier when Joe Allen challenged Aaron Mooy and claimed referee Anthony Taylor might still have been thinking about that incident when he turned down their appeal.
“We feel a little bit aggrieved because it was a clear penalty when Mame Diouf got his legs taken away from him,” he said.
“The referee needs to give that. Whether he was influenced because the home team seemed to think there was a foul by Joe Allen, I don’t know. But that was never a penalty. It’s another key decision, key moment, which has gone against us and we’ve had a number of them in recent weeks.”
Hughes was more concerned by Shawcross’ injury, which means he must face Chelsea on Saturday without his three best centre-halves because Kurt Zouma is ineligible and Bruno Martins Indi is injured.
“That’s been the story in recent weeks and probably since the beginning of the season,” he moaned.
Despite that, Stoke came from behind to get another point to continue their mini-revival and ease some of the pressure on Hughes.
Hughes likened the game to a basketball match because it was so open and it could have finished 3-3, with keepers Jonas Lossl and Jack Butland outstanding.
There was nothing Butland could do to prevent Huddersfield’s 10th-minute opener when Tom Ince finally broke his duck for Town from his 45th attempt on goal. Collin Quaner beat Geoff Cameron far too easily on the right and pulled it back for Ince to slot home.
Stoke responded and went close four times in a frantic few seconds during a melee in the six-yard box.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had a backheel deflected on to the post by Chris Lowe before a second effort was saved by Lossl just millimetres before it crossed the line. Town could have had more and Robin van La Parra twice went close before he was denied by Butland and Steve Mounie hit an overhead kick just over.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man for Stoke and in the 60th minute, Allen stepped up to the plate to make their equaliser.
Allen received a short free-kick, played a one-two with Choupo-Moting before crossing for Ramadan Sobhi to score at the back post.
“He was immense again,” said Hughes. “He drove the game. He broke really well, still had a lot to do with the ball, but produced the ball we needed.”
Both sides might have had penalties and Town boss David Wagner graciously admitted he felt both should have been given.
Either might have snatched it at the end and Lossl saved a Peter Crouch header and Butland expertly denied Joe Lolley.
Wagner was satisfied with the point and said: “Stoke are an established Premier League side and I would say in open play we were better than them, while they were better at set-pieces.”