Stoke ease into Capital One Cup semi-finals with comfortable win

Stoke 2 Sheffield Wednesday 0: Stoke eased into the Capital One Cup semi-finals last night as goals from Ibrahim Afellay and substitute Phil Bardsley secured a comfortable 2-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Afellay put the Potters ahead in the 30th minute, the summer signing registering his first goal for the club with a delightfully-executed volley.

Bardsley then smashed home a low effort from outside the box in the 75th minute — also opening his Potters goalscoring account — to seal what will be Stoke’s first League Cup semi-final appearance since 1971-72, the year they raised the trophy.