Stoke City 2 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur: No relief for Ramos as Spurs continue woeful start to season

Published on Sunday 19 October 2008 23:34

STOKE manager Tony Pulis urged Tottenham to stick with Juande Ramos after Stoke handed Spurs a sixth defeat in eight Barclays Premier League games.

A penalty from Danny Higginbotham and Rory Delap's tap-in, either side of Darren Bent's equaliser, secured a 2-1 victory for the Potters in a dramatic encounter. To rub salt into the wounds Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson were both sent off for Spurs while Ricardo Fuller missed a second penalty, piling more pressure on under-fire boss Ramos, pictured below.

"They've got a terrific team and I just hope they stick with their manager and get one or two breaks and things go for them," said Pulis.

Adding injury to insult, Croatian defender Vedran Corluka suffered a serious-looking head injury.

Not since 1912 has the London club endured a worse start to a campaign and they lie bottom with just two points.

Ramos had to do without Ledley King for the game but one bright spot – for Scotland manager George Burley at least – was the return of Alan Hutton at right-back, the former Rangers player's first appearance since 11 May. The Spurs players looked nervous in the opening exchanges and the tension was increased when Delap burst through the middle after good play by Mamady Sidibe and Dave Kitson. He shaped to shoot but instead laid the ball across to the unmarked Tom Soares who hit his shot too close to Heurelho Gomes.

Bent managed a header on target before Tottenham's troubles deepened. Bale made a complete hash of clearing Higginbotham's free kick, Soares was onto him in a trice and took possession. The young Welshman lunged desperately to stop him but only succeeded in taking his legs.

Referee Lee Mason pointed to the spot, and produced the red card – and Spurs could have little complaint about either decision. Higginbotham stepped up to take the penalty – several times as it turned out, because the buffeting wind kept moving the ball off the spot – and kept his composure to beat the diving Gomes low to the keeper's left.

In the 24th minute Tottenham finally enjoyed a slice of good fortune. Hutton's shot was blocked with two Spurs players offside and the ball found its way through to Bent, who poked home from close range.

It was Delap who hit Stoke's second goal seven minutes into the second half after Stoke finally put together a decent passing move. The ball was worked through central midfield and then out to Sidibe on the right who struck a peach of a centre leaving Delap with a simple finish at the far post.

Seyi Olofinjana brought a sprawling save out of Gomes from 25 yards before Stoke were forced into a change with Steve Simonsen coming on in goal for Thomas Sorensen after the Dane had been caught by Hutton.

There was an incident of real concern when Corluka was carried from the field after twice being caught by his own keeper within a minute as Gomes tried to deal with Stoke's set plays. First the Croatian suffered a blow to the ribs and then caught the keeper's knee full on his chin. Lengthy medical attention on the pitch followed before the Spurs defender left on a stretcher wearing on an oxygen mask and was taken straight into a pitch-side ambulance.

The incident meant 11 minutes of injury time and Stoke contrived to hit the woodwork three times. Soares won a penalty after being fouled by Woodgate, Fuller hit the post and Delap's follow-up struck the bar, before Fuller again hit the angle. And in the closing seconds substitute Michael Dawson earned another straight red card for a foot-up challenge on Sidibe's ankle.

Ramos insisted he is not worried about his job. "We need to work very hard together but sometimes it's difficult to explain the situation. It's possible to turn it around," he said.