It was Marko Arnautovic who broke the deadlock for Stoke in first-half stoppage time when he scored from the spot, before Cardiff midfielder Peter Whittingham repeated that feat soon after the restart.

Below, Sports Mole has looked back over the contest to determine if the result was a fair one, or if one of the teams deserved all three points.

Match statistics

Cardiff
Shots: 13
On target: 4
Possession: 43%
Corners: 12
Fouls: 6

Stoke
Shots: 14
On target: 5
Possession: 57%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 12

Was the result fair?
In terms of the number of chances created, there was little to separate the two teams, but it must be pointed out that Stoke carved out the better opportunities and played much better football. Although they were not completely dominant, if any team deserved maximum points it was Stoke, but it's hard to argue against the draw.

Cardiff's performance
When a side is fighting for their lives, you expect them to do just that - fight. Sadly for Cardiff, they were second best for a lot of this contest and in the end had to rely (not for the first time this season) on their goalkeeper David Marshall to keep them in the game. An onslaught was anticipated with the scores level in the closing stages, but the Bluebirds were wasteful and spent the majority of their time chasing the ball. With time running out, this is one that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is bound to view as a wasted opportunity.

Stoke's performance
Mark Hughes will be disappointed that his team are not heading back to Stoke with all three points. In the final minutes they hit the crossbar and called Marshall into action, but it wasn't to be. On the plus side, the Potters really do play some easy on the eye football under Hughes's stewardship. If he can recruit the right type of player during the summer to add to what he already has at his disposal, next season could be an exciting one.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Mats Moller Daehli: Not everything that Cardiff's Norwegian playmaker attempted came off, but at least he was positive. Daehli constantly kept his head up while in possession and went on numerous runs with the ball seemingly glued to his feet. If Cardiff are relegated, there could be a few Premier League clubs that make a move for his signature.

Biggest gaffe

Kim Bo-Kyung and Steven Nzonzi can share this award, because both put in very poor challenges that were punished by the award of penalties. If anything, the tackles were lazy and needless, which left Howard Webb little choice but to point to the spot.

Referee performance

When a referee awards a penalty to both sides, he is sometimes accused of trying to even things up. Today, though, Webb was correct on both calls. What's more, over the course of the 90 minutes, he appeared in complete control of the contest, which is why he is considered by many to be England's best official.

What next?

Cardiff: A huge game for Cardiff next weekend as they make the trip to the Stadium of Light to face fellow strugglers Sunderland.

Stoke: The Potters returned to home comforts with the visit of Tottenham Hotspur.