Adam the hero again as Stoke sink Fulham

STOKE-ON-TRENT: Charlie Adam was Stoke’s hero again as the Scotland midfielder scored the only goal in his side’s 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday.

Adam bagged the winner in Stoke’s previous match in front of their own fans against QPR at the Britannia Stadium and the former Liverpool star made the decisive intervention once more to lift City up to 11th place in the Premier League.

His first half goal extended Stoke’s unbeaten home league run to 13 games stretching back to February, while ninth-placed Fulham are now winless in their last five games.

In driving rain, Martin Jol’s visitors who made the brighter start, with Giorgos Karagounis firing just wide in the second minute.

Stoke hit back and Robert Huth headed wide from Matthew Etherington’s corner before Adam broke the deadlock in the 26th minute.

Adam showed impressive footwork as he took one touch, turned and fired home from close-range after Peter Crouch headed down Ryan Shotton’s cross.

Ryan Shawcross almost made it 2-0 in the 36th minute when his header crashed off the crossbar.

Stoke kept pressing and midfielder Glenn Whelan miscued his shot over the bar from a Jon Walters pass early in the second half.

Fulham’s Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer tipped away a header by Huth from Etherington’s corner before Shawcross nodded wide from another set-piece.

The Cottagers went close to equalising against the run of play when former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov saw his drive tipped away by Asmir Begovic.

But Stoke finished strongly and substitute Kenwyne Jones thought he had doubled his side’s lead in the closing moments, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.