Stoke City 3-0 Huddersfield Town highlights and reaction
Stoke City welcome Huddersfield Town to the bet365 Stadium in a big game at the bottom of the Championship.
It is, in fact, a big four days for Stoke as they follow up their clash with bottom side Huddersfield with a trip to second-bottom Blackpool on Saturday. They go into these fixtures sitting six points better off than both teams and they know they need to make sure that gap is extended as much as possible in a division when pressure can escalate quickly.
Stoke are back at headquarters fresh from a goalless draw with Hull on Saturday while Huddersfield are winless in six and have just appointed former boss Neil Warnock as their new manager until the end of the season. Warnock is flying back to England to officially take charge of the team tomorrow.
Alex Neil is boosted by the return to fitness of deadline day signings Axel Tuanzebe and Ben Pearson but Nick Powell is out and Josh Tymon will only return to training next week.
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Player ratings21:53
Penalty21:38
Peter Smith
Neil: "We just need to go and make sure we win as many games as we can between now and the end of the season. The next game is vitally important as well. If we can win that one, we arguably put ourselves in a position where you'd like to think we'll be fine.
"But we've got 14 games after that so there are still a lot of points to fight for. We've still got a lot to play for this season."
Peter Smith
Neil: "Yes, Axel has been training great. We want to give him a bit of exposure and get him ready because we're going to need him in the games coming up. It was nice to get him on the pitch just to give him a taste because it's been a wee while since he's had that and the sending off helped that because at that stage we were comfortable."
Peter Smith
Neil: "I just told him he's here to show everyone how good he is. I've got no doubts about his mentality, how he approaches games and his will to win. You cans see that."
Peter Smith
Neil: "He's a good player. He lands on the ball, sees things, takes his time on the ball, can smell danger, snuffs things out. He probably nursed himself through the game. That was Ben probably, I reckon, 60 per cent fit.
"I've had him for four seasons. When I had him he was predominantly in the best three players on the pitch if not the best every time he played.
"I know what he's capable of. I thought he showed flashes. There's still more to come."
Peter Smith
Neil: "I discussed that with the players because there's no point kidding people on. We discussed it at lenght. I wasn't hiding away from the importance of the game.
"What I did say and what I'll reiterate now is that it's not the be all and end all. There are still 15 games to go, there are a lot of points to fight for and we want to finish the season strongly and get ourselves into the next batch of teams to see if we can work our way up.
"But our immediate job is to make sure we stay as far away as possible from the bottom of the league as we can."
Peter Smith
Neil: "Yes we did. I think we needed to switch play a bit quicker. When we did have a couple of switches of play that's where the spare player was and we possibly need to see it a little bit quicker.
"We scored three goals and the last time I was here (in the press room) I was told it was the first time we'd kept two clean sheets in a row in the league at home this season. Now it's three in a row, which is pleasing.
"To score three goals improves our goal difference and as we spoke about before the game, it was going to be a really important three points for either side. The fact we've come out and are now nine points ahead of Huddersfield it's a hell of a lot of work for them to do (to close it).
"But we've still got a hell of a lot of work to do ourselves. The job is not done. We have to keep going but tonight was a big step for us."
Peter Smith
Neil: "I can't speak more highly of Jags. He's great about the place, good on the pitch, talks to the players, understands the game. All I need to do is point him in the right direction and let him get on and do his job."
Peter Smith
Neil: "He's been absolutely incredible for us. He's 40 years of age and to put that into context, I'm 41. That makes me feel horrific when I look at him and how well he's done, how well he trains, how he goes about his work. He's an absolute credit to himself for what he's done through his career.
"We're fortunate to have him. The one thing we'd wish is that he's got more years left in him.
"He's been absolutely brilliant and to pop up with the first goal settles us down the lads down as well."
KEY EVENT
Neil: "I thought there was a wee spell maybe from five to 10 minutes when they moved the ball and looked quite sharp and we fixed a little thing in the middle of the pitch to make sure we could apply more pressure.
"I thought the goal settled us down and from then until pretty much just before half-time, I thought we should have put the game to bed. Tye had two really good chances on his left foot and how the goalkeeper has saved the one from Jacob when it's flashed across I'm not sure.
"Jacob has a header as well that flashes past the post but we were certainly good value at half-time.
"Then it's a case of making sure we start the second half well and get the next goal. The sending off obviously affects the game and from that point we get two goals, which was nice."
Peter Smith
Everton fans are among those to react to Phil Jagielka rolling back the years for Stoke City against Huddersfield Town.
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21:53KEY EVENT
A sea of sevens.
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21:39Peter Smith
Well done Stoke!
90KEY EVENT
Baker.
Drills it home bottom left.
90KEY EVENT
Jacob Brown is tripped by Lees.
87Peter Smith
Stoke are knocking the ball around with a bit of confidence. Huddersfield have been seriously low on confidence and now look dead on their feet.
82Peter Smith
Baker, Tuanzebe and Tezgel replace Jagielka, Smallbone and Gayle.
78Peter Smith
Josh Laurent gets the ball in space 30 yards out and listens to the yell of SHOOOT! It's not that far wide of the top right corner.
75Peter Smith
Ben Pearson gets a good reception as he is replaced by Jordan Thompson. Alex Neil gives him a big pat on the back too.
73KEY EVENT
Brown.
Laurent fed Campbell to run down the right of the area and dig out a cross. Brown's first shot was blocked, Wilmot's attempt was stopped by Kasumu and Brown pounced to smack in the rebound.
72Peter Smith
Another corner. Punched on by Vaclik.
70Peter Smith
Kasumu is a central midfielder and he's filling in at right-back while Matty Lowton goes to centre-back.
69Peter Smith
Huddersfield don't have a centre-back on the bench.
Kasumu and Jones come on for Waghorn and Koroma.
67Peter Smith
Jordan Thompson is coming on for Stoke it looks like.
Another corner, which Huddersfield clear.
64KEY EVENT
Will Boyle goes for his second yellow.
He has a loose arm swinging and catches Dwight Gayle mid-way inside the Huddersfield half as they go for a header. A daft old booking and he gets some stick from the away end as he goes back down the tunnel.
64Peter Smith
Phil Jagielka makes an important tackle on the edge of his own box and Huddersfield are committing more men forward. Jacob Brown is getting deeper and deeper on the right.
60Peter Smith
Another corner. This is number nine, we think.
Smallbone from the right. Headed out easily but knocked back in, but Gayle turns his back as it pings around and Huddersfield clear.
59Peter Smith
Stoke are on the break and there's lots of space for Morgan Fox to attack - but he takes his eye off the ball and accidentally knocks it out of play.
Stoke still go forward and a good cross from Campbell earns another corner.
59Peter Smith
17,700, with 533 in the away end.
58Peter Smith
Koroma is enjoying running at Fox and he slips the ball inside for Matty Lowton, who can't quite latch onto it.
56Peter Smith
Scott High makes way for Joseph Hungo.