Stoke City 3 Brighton 1

This game was live on ITV Sports Channel, and what a game it turned out to be.

Stoke played 4-4-2 with the following players..


Iwelumo scored the first, a header past the keeper and into the back of the net. A penalty was awarder which Cutler saved extremely well. Brighton then equalised from the resulting corner after a scramble in the box.

Stoke faught back very well and found themselves in front after a penalty of their own. Bjarni Gudjonson was taken down in the box as he rose for a header with a defender and the keeper and appeared to be elbowed.

Gunnlaugson took the penalty and that was 2-1 to the potters.

Brighton lacked without Zamora, it would appear that the side was built around him and without him they aren't as good as their league position would suggest.

Stoke played well throughout, not as well as we have seen them this season.

Stoke finished it off after Stefan Thordarson put through Clive Clarke who finished off a good run with a goal, the top right corner of the net. What a goal that was!

SPORTS.COM MATCH REPORT ======================

Stoke City did their promotion hopes a power of good with a 3-1 win over Brighton in a thriller of a game.

Stoke went in front somewhat against the run of play in the 29th minute when Chris Iwelumo headed home past Michels Kuipers.

There was drama after the interval when Brighton missed a penalty, scored an equaliser, then went behind to a spot kick - all in the space of three minutes! Then Stoke full back Clive Clarke struck a third goal for the Potters to wrap up three valuable promotion points.

Deon Burton was inches away from giving Stoke a dream start in their first real attack of the game with just three minutes on the clock.

Iwelumo beat two Brighton defenders, raced to the byline and chipped the ball into the box to where Burton was lurking.

It was not the perfect cross and Burton needed to stoop a little, lifting his header just over the crossbar and on to the top of the net.

Paul Brooker was allowed to run at the Stoke defence as they backed off but Neil Cutler did not have to stretch too much to save his 20-yard shot.

The visitors were enjoying most of the ball and were playing some delightful football but they went behind just before the half-hour.

Clarke sent in a perfect cross from the left and Iwelumo flashed a header past Kuipers to put Stoke in front.

Two minutes later it took a superb save from the Brighton keeper to prevent Arnar Gunnlaugsson from doubling the home side's advantage.

And with half time approaching it was the Stoke keeper Cutler who kept the score at 1-0 when he prevented Lee Steele from tucking away Brooker's cross from close range.

Eight minutes after the break Brighton were awarded a penalty when Steele went down in the box after an innocuous challenge from Wayne Thomas.

But justice was done when Cutler dived full length to his left to push Pethick's spot kick around the post, but from the resulting corner Brighton drew level.

The Stoke defence could only half clear the ball and ironically it was Steele who stabbed the ball over the line for the equaliser.

The drama continued and two minutes later Bjarni Gudjonsson was floored in the box by Danny Cullip, who was duly booked, and Gunnlaugsson tucked away the spot kick to put Stoke back in front.

Then, in the 86th minute, Clarke capped off a great display, playing a one-two with Stefan Thordarson before firing an angled drive into the corner of the net