No ifs or buts, Jack’s top rate

We will get no Anfield mercy

JOE Allen has backed Jack Butland to keep Stoke in the Premier League – despite the mistake that cost his team against Leicester.

The keeper, 24, gifted Leicester’s equaliser when he allowed Marc Albrighton’s cross to squirm through his grasp to cancel out Xherdan Shaqiri’s opener.

It left Stoke second from bottom, but Butland, right, went on to pull off superb saves to deny Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire.

Allen believes those stops showed Butland did not allow the error to affect him. “It says a lot about his character. Every player is going to RAFA BENITEZ has warned his team that they will be the latest victim of a heavy Anfield defeat if they switch off like they did at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Newcastle were cruising to victory after Dwight Gayle’s first-half double but a dreadful miss from Jonjo Shelvey sparked a comeback from Eddie Howe’s side.

Benitez is worried a similar performance at Liverpool next Saturday will have dire consequences. “What we have to do there is to play like the first 70 minutes at Bournemouth,” said

LEICESTER STOKE CITY

make mistakes,” said Allen. “The important thing is he didn’t let it affect him.” Leicester boss Claude Puel said it was a pleasure having Mahrez on song after he made his first league start since his collapsed move to Manchester City. “All that is behind us,” said Puel. “He came back into the team with pleasure and is enjoying his football.” Captain Wes Morgan said: “He’s settled back in as if he never went away.”

BOURNEMOUTH NEWCASTLE

Benitez. “Hopefully the team will do what we were doing.”

Benitez, below, put the collapse down to inexperience. “We were missing the quality in the final third, a little bit of experience,” he said. “This can happen when you play at this level against very good players. We need a bit more experience to manage situations.”

Adam Smith and Dan Gosling hauled Bournemouth level but they were booed off at half-time and Howe said: “We were flat.”