Stoke’s relegation fate is sealed as Swansea’s fight goes on after loss
EVERYONE knew it was coming but when referee Martin Atkinson put the whistle to his lips and confirmed Stoke City’s relegation after 10 years in the Premier League, the shock was still palpable.
Several players, including Erik Pieters and Mame Diouf, crumpled to the floor and England goalkeeper Jack Butland was among those who struggled to hold back tears as the team embarked on an unwanted ‘lap of dishonour’ around the Bet365 Stadium.
Stoke, for so long the embodiment of a well-run smaller club punching above their weight in the top league, will be back in the Championship next season, part of their downfall due to disastrous recruitment, with Saido Berahino near the top of the list.
Yesterday, was their 13th game without a win so nobody can complain and say they are unlucky to be going down. They took the lead once again with a deflected Xherdan Shaqiri free-kick but blew it, not for the first time.
Stoke have surrendered 12 points from winning positions since Paul Lambert replaced Mark Hughes in January.
James McArthur levelled for Palace after 68 minutes, soon after Lambert had withdrawn Peter Crouch in order to defend their lead and catch the visitors on the break.
Patrick van Aanholt’s winner after 86 minutes was the final nail in the coffin, profiting from a mistake by Stoke captain and longest-serving player, Ryan Shawcross.
A deflated Lambert, who will still be in charge next season after signing a two-and-a-half year contract in January, said afterwards: ‘The emotion of the game is still there so it’s difficult to answer things. I am gutted for everyone at the club.’
While Stoke’s relegation has been sealed, Bournemouth’s 1-0 win over Swansea courtesy of a Ryan Fraser goal keeps them up.
‘It is relief,’ said manager Eddie Howe afterwards. ‘It gets harder every year to do it. We were professional and got the job done.’
For Swansea, the pursuit of safety goes on. Their future remains in their own hands but those hands are shaking and fingernails are being chewed. The clash with Southampton at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday evening is now a multi-millionpound duel for Premier league survival.
Manager Carlos Carvalhal remained defiant: ‘When I arrived, if I’d said I expect it will be two games to go and we can still stay in the Premier League, you would not have believed. We have two home games. So let’s do it.’
Elsewhere, Watford also secured survival after first-half goals from Roberto Pereyra and Andre Gray in a 2-1 win over Newcastle, who found the net through Ayoze Perez.
‘We are making mistakes because maybe we don’t have that concentration, or that necessity to get points,’ Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez said..
‘The second-half reaction was good. But we expected to do it from the first minute. There were too many mistakes.’