Stoke City
Shay Given – 6/10
Shay Given cannot be blamed for any of the goals as his defense left him stranded and all he had to do was pick up the ball from the back of the net.
Phil Bardsley – 5.5/10
Despite being against the likes of Sterling throughout the game and then Nolito late on, he held his own for most parts of the game but got tired and let Nolito in for the 2 late goals.
Ryan Shawcross – 4/10
Stoke City’s captain was the poorest member of the defense as he didn’t lead the line at all. He gave away the penalty by tugging onto Otamendi’s shirt. He later redeemed himself as Sterling was found guilty of ‘manhandling’ Shawcross in the box and Stoke were awarded a penalty.
But his lack of movement and coordination with Wollscheid was the demise of Stoke City’s decent game in the second half.
Philipp Wollscheid – 4.5/10
He was constantly being run around by Aguero, Silva and Navas. He couldn’t cover well for Pieters on the left flank and often found himself looking back as the game went past him. He was culpable for not defending against Aguero’s headed goal as well.
Eric Pieters – 6/10
He was initially finding it tough to defend his flank as Arnautovic offered no help. He grew confident with the ball as the game went on but as with the defense, found himself usually culpable of being a stroller in the park. He ended up doing well aerially than any of his other defensive counterparts.
Glenn Whelan – 4.5/10
He was culpable along with Wollscheid for not defending De Bruyne’s ball into the box. Too often he was being played out of the game by City’s attacking triangles and he made no attempt to stamp any authority on the game as the midfield became non-existent at times.
Giannelli Imbula Wanga – 5/10
He would be personally very disappointed with his performance. He was slow to react with the ball at his feet and was too often dispossessed after winning the ball in promising areas. He took too much time to find that forward pass and ended up being outplayed along with his midfield partner. Was substituted in the 72nd minute.
Joe Allen – 7/10
In a midfield that was pretty much non-existent, Allen made sure to come back and help out his teammates. Going forward he was his usual self with keeping the possession and exchanging some decent passes with Bojan and Arnautovic. He will be a big player for Mark Hughes’ team this season.
Marko Arnautovic – 6.5/10
He looked like Stoke City’s best bet for a goal as he was constantly looked to be played in. He did some decent dribbles throughout the game but as is usual with his game, without an end product. Mark Hughes would ask him to sometimes look up and play the pass quickly and stop trying too hard at times.
Bojan Krkic – 7/10
I am sure Pep would have liked his ex-player doing well. Bojan was a constant thorn in City’s defense who dragged them out of position at times and tried linking up with Diouf and Arnautovic in the first half. He played some good passes but seemed to miss his partner in crime – Shaqiri.
Mame Biram Diouf – 6/10
It was always going to be a tough day playing up alone against a Pep managed team. He tried his best to run in behind the City centre-backs and tried making something of a lost cause but despite being aerially good, didn’t do much to merit a higher rating.
Substitutes
Jonathan Walters – 6.5/10
Came on in the 72nd minute for Imbula and led the line well. He did his part and tried to cause nuisance in the City half and help up the ball for others to run past him.
Ramadan Sobhy – NA
A lot of Stoke fans would have wanted him to come on sooner and not in the 88th minute but he came in and wasn’t involved in any of the game as City dominated the last few minutes of the game.
