The Potters succumbed to their seventh defeat in nine league outings in Yorkshire and had Ben Pearson dismissed late on after picking up two yellow cards. It’s a result which kept the Staffordshire-based side in the bottom three, level on points with Huddersfield Town above them. However, the Terriers can pull away later tonight when they face Cardiff City in South Wales.
Their battle to survive was given some hope by their convincing 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough over the weekend, but a trip to title-chasing Leeds was always going to be difficult.
The home team took a halftime lead thanks to a goal from Dan James, but Stoke more than held their better opponents. A much-improved second half saw an inspired Illan Meslier keep Schumacher’s men at bay, but with four minutes left, Pearson was sent off, severely hampering their hopes of finding an equaliser.
The 29-year-old was brought on as a substitute shortly before the hour mark, and he had only been on the pitch for slightly more than 30 minutes. The choices that ultimately resulted in Pearson’s termination did not sit well with the manager. Speaking to Leeds Live following the match, the former Plymouth Argyle manager stated:
“It’s annoying. There isn’t much in the first one, so I don’t think he needs to get involved in the second one. However, in situations like this, the referees are eager to rule against you. They are unable to wait.
What he was going to do was clear. It’s annoying because we’ll miss Ben again. He made a significant difference when he entered the game.
possess sufficient experience and a capable boss who understands how to do tasks under duress.
On Saturday at Deepdale, Stoke will be looking to get back to winning ways right away against a revitalised Preston North End.
Author’s Perspective
Schumacher was obviously upset by his team’s defeat, which makes sense given their current circumstances. With a relegation into League One beginning to seem increasingly likely, the manager and his players are under growing pressure every week.
One could have considered a journey to Leeds on the road to be kind of a free hit. They were not expected to win that game, but they might be encouraged by their previous
Leave a Reply