Ten-man Stoke beat gunshy City

Stoke 1 Manchester City 0

Manchester City slumped to a miserable defeat at the Britannia stadium as they were unable to beat 10-man Stoke.

Stoke had Rory Delap sent off in the first half for a foul on Shaun Wright-Phillips, and it should have been relatively easy for the visitors after that.

But James Beattie's headed goal in first-half injury time gave Stoke the lead, and they withstood everything City could throw at them after that.

Stoke won at home for the first time since November and ended a four-game winless run.

Ricardo Fuller returned to the Stoke starting line-up for the first time since his suspension following the 'slapping' incident with Andy Griffin at West Ham in December.

He replaced striker Richard Cresswell, while Danny Pugh came into the side in place of Danny Higginbotham, who picked up calf and ankle injuries in the midweek defeat at Tottenham.

City fielded the same side that beat Newcastle in midweek, which now includes seven new signings in the Mark Hughes regime at a cost of £93m.

Two more, Shay Given and Roque Santa Cruz, are expected to be signed before the transfer window ends at a combined cost of a further £30m.

On a raw day in the Potteries, Manchester City's Brazilian sunshine boy Robinho ignored the biting cold to produce his array of skills, but he faded badly as the game went on and Stoke fought for their unlikely victory.

But it was Stephen Ireland, one of the four remnants of City's fast disappearing past, who should have scored early on when he volleyed wide from the edge of the box while unmarked.

Stoke were competitive, quick into the challenge, and Fuller's surge down the right produced a powerful cross and a sharp interception from Joe Hart.

But after 19 minutes Robinho wasted a glorious chance when City broke from defending a corner to put together a high-speed passing move that created the chance which unfortunately for the visitors mishit straight into Thomas Sorensen's hands.

Stoke worked hard to get the visitors onto the back foot, and to two of Delap's towering throws Ryan Shawcross got in a dangerous header and a neat back-heel that almost caught out Hart.

Then Matthew Etherington got away on the left and fired in a dangerous cross that Fuller could not turn on quickly enough to get in a telling shot.

Amdy Faye needed lengthy treatment after a clash of heads with Nedum Onuoha, producing the five minutes of added time before the break that was to prove costly for the visitors.

The game erupted after 37 minutes when Delap was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson.

Wright-Phillips had produced a debatable lunging tackle on Etherington that went unpunished.

As Wright-Phillips moved away with the ball, Delap chased him and tripped the winger from behind, compounding the offence by seemingly kicking the ball at the grounded England winger.

Manchester City players were incensed. Bellamy and Pablo Zabaleta rushed to the scene, and TV replays suggested that Wright-Phillips had swung a leg in retaliation at Delap. But it was only Delap.

The Britannia Stadium was now a cauldron of resentment as Stoke fans howled their anger at the West Yorkshire official and Wright-Phillips.

But Stoke responded superbly when they took the lead in the fourth of those five added minutes when Beattie headed home an Etherington cross.

Stoke, who had sent on Cresswell for Fuller at the interval, were under instant pressure in the second half.

Manchester City then took off Zabaleta and sent on Elano, whose first involvement was a 56th-minute booking for a trip on Etherington.

Stoke were now defending in depth and Robinho was finding it increasingly difficult to have an impact.

Bellamy volleyed wide on the turn and Robinho saw a long-range drive curl away.

Stoke were defending resolutely and Manchester City were becoming increasingly frustrated.

Robinho skied another effort over as City toiled away. Felipe Caicedo came on for Nigel de Jong, but the visitors were simply not creating anything.

Stoke continued to battle away. Griffin replaced Amdy Faye as the time ticked away.

Another Robinho effort flashed yards wide, with the Stoke crowd now roaring on their 10 men.

Etherington was withdrawn to allow another defender, Ibrahima Sonko, to help out at the back.

Micah Richards went tumbling in the box but despite heated City claims for a penalty nothing was awarded.