Sunderland travelled to the Britannia Stadium today looking for their first away win of the new Premier League season.
They met a Stoke City team that had only conceded one goal at home so far.
Despite coming under some late pressure, the Black Cats managed to hold on for a hard-earned point.
You can read how the action unfolded below.
Good afternoon readers of Sports Mole. Welcome to out coverage of this Premier League encounter between Stoke City and Sunderland at the Britannia Stadium.
Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Wilson; Walters, Whitehead, Nzonzi, Adam, Kightly; Crouch
Subs: Sorensen, Jones, Owen, Upson, Etherington, Wilkinson, Palacios
Subs: Sorensen, Jones, Owen, Upson, Etherington, Wilkinson, Palacios
Mignolet; Gardner, Rose, O'Shea, Cuellar, Cattermole; Colback, Larsson, Johnson, McClean; Fletcher
Subs: Bardsley, Campbell, Kilgallon, Vaughan, Saha, Sessegnon, Westwood
Subs: Bardsley, Campbell, Kilgallon, Vaughan, Saha, Sessegnon, Westwood
So Stephane Sessegnon is not fit enouh for a starting role and takes a place on the bench as Lee Cattermole returns from suspension.
Stoke have only conceded one goal at home this season, while Sunderland are yet to win away.
Aside from Demba Ba's own goal, all of Sunderland's goals this season have come via the boot of Steven Fletcher.
Ba's own goal last week helped the Black Cats avoid defeat at home to their bitter rivals in the Tyne-Wear Derby.
We also have coverage of Arsenal's clash with Queens Park Rangers at the Emirates Stadium, courtesy of Jack Prescott.
There's already been one game in the Premier League today, which saw Norwich come from behind to draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park. The result condemns Paul Lambert's side to their worst start for 26 years.
The players are making their way onto the field. The Britannia, as always, is in raucous form. "My, my, my... Delilah".
There's no drama with handshakes or t-shirts and we're just about ready to get this game underway.
So Dean Whitehead lines up against his former team, while Kenwyne Jones is on the bench.
Stoke get the game underway at the Britannia
Sunderland immediately go on the attack and win a throw in deep in Stoke's territory.
Kightly thinks he has won a corner off O'Shea but the referee Mark Halsey awards a goal kick. Correct decision.
David Moyes and Giovanni Trapattoni are among the crowd for today's game. The Toffees play Sunderland in a couple of weeks and the Scot is no doubt doing his homework ahead of that encounter.
Meanwhile, Charlie Adam wins a corner. He will take it...
It's a dangerous cross but it comes off Shawcross and out for a goal kick.
Adam tries to find Crouch with an arrowed ball into the big man's chest but he is flagged offside.
The game's a bit scrappy at the moment. Plenty of misplaced passes and first touches a tad too long. Dare I say it was to be expected?
Kightly gets in down the left and tries to float a ball into Crouch, but it's too deep and goes harmlessly behind for a goal kick.
Corner for Sunderland. Johnson runs over to swing it in with his left foot.
It's cleared by the Stoke defence.
CLOSE! Gardner whips a ball in from the right and Colback is inches from connecting as he slides in at the near post.
BOOKING! Danny Rose is the first man to be booked for a foul on Geoff Cameron. Adam to swing in a free kick from the right...
SAVE! Mignolet is alert to stop Shawcross from opening the scoring with a guided header. The defender got a second bit at the cherry but still could not find the back of the net. It was a good save down low by the Belgian!
Larsson thrashes a freekick at the Stoke wall.
SHOT! Colback finds himself in some space outside the Stoke area but slices his shot well wide.
First chance for James McClean to deliver a ball into the box and it's a poor effort.
SHOT! Kightly drifts inside and tries to clip a shot beyond Mignolet with his right but Cuellar heads behind for a corner.
Adam sweeps in a dangerous ball that Mignolet is forced to punch behind.
It's an out-swinger this time and it's not as effective... although replays show that it should be a corner as it came off the head of John O'Shea.
CLOSE! Cuellar flicks on Larsson's freekick and it's not far off target, despite never really worrying Begovic.
Crouch knocks the ball down to Kightly in the area but O'Shea puts it out for another corner. Adam has caused Sunderland some problems from set pieces already today...
... but this one is poor and doesn't get past the first man.
Sunderland are enjoying a spell of possession at the moment but no one is grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck.
There's going to be one minute of time added on.
Stoke City 0-0 Sunderland
The hosts have looked the more likely to break the deadlock, but it remains goalless at the break. It's been a fairly scrappy affair so far.
Sunderland resume the game.
Adam gets another cross into the box but Mignolet catches.
Marc Wilson is down and in some pain. The stretcher is coming on and Andy Wilkinson is stripped on the sideline. He went down under no challenge and they tend to be the serious injuries. There's a degree of concern among the Stoke players.
Wilson is stretchered off and Andy Wilkinson comes on to replace him.
The defender receives a warm round of applause from the Britannia faithful. Let's hope it's nothing serious, but those innocuous ones can be pretty bad.
BOOKING! Whitehead scythes down Larsson and goes into the book.
Now Larsson is down and receiving treatment, but thankfully there's no calls for a stretcher.
It looks like Johnson is going to deliver the ball from the right.
It's not a great delivery but the ball eventually fell to him from around 25 yards, but his shot was always rising.
Kightly gets to the byline and stands the ball up for Crouch but he's crowded out by the Sunderland defence.
It looks like Stephane Sessegnon is about to come on for the visitors...
Larsson makes way for the Frenchman
Sessegnon has not scored since March, a run spanning 15 games.
Meanwhile, Carlos Cuellar has a bloodied nose.
Kightly wins a corner for Stoke.
Crouch finds half a yard in the area but his shot is blocked by Gardner.
CHANCE! Cameron bulldozes his way to the byline but his cutback is behind Adam and the Scot cannot get his foot around the ball to get any power on his shot. Mignolet comfortably saves.
Matthew Etherington comes on for Jonathan Walters.
BOOKING! Crouch saw yellow for a foul on Johnson.
Adam is felled by Colback from around 40 yards out. Freekick.
CHANCE! Sessegnon charges down Wilkinson's clearances and comes inside to feed Fletcher. The Scot brough the ball back on his left foot and you expect the net to be rippling... but his shot appears to hit Shawcross on the arm. Best chance of the game so far.
Shawcross couldn't get his arm out of the way and they were down by his side. A penalty would have been harsh in that circumstance.
My apologies, it was Huth who got in the way of Fletcher's goalbound effort.
Michael Owen comes on for Charlie Adam.
Personally, I'd have kept Adam on. His delivery from set pieces is a great asset, especially if you have the kind of height Stoke do in their team.
The hosts are forcing the issue now. Etherington has a tame effort that results in a bit of pinball around the Sunderland area but the danger is eventually cleared.
Phil Bardsley replaces Danny Rose.
SAVE! Mignolet gets both hands to a Crouch header from a free kick.
Mikel Arteta has given Arsenal the lead late in the game against QPR at the Emirates. Stephane M'Bia had just been sent off for a senseless kick out on Vermaelen. The wait for a win appears to be going on for Mark Hughes's men.
Louis Saha is coming on for Adam Johnson.
We still have eight minutes of added-on time remaining, due to Marc Wilson's injury.
Crouch tries to battle his way through the Sunderland backline and wins a corner.
Etherington delivers an out-swinger and Huth rises high, but Mignolet gets down well to save his header.
CHANCE! Etherington goes on a mazy run and slips in Crouch, but Mignolet claws it fromunder his feet.Kightly picks up the pieces but drags his shot wide of the goal. Big chance late on for the hosts.
CLOSE! Stoke are really applying the pressure now as Kightly delivers another cross from the right from which Owen nearly profits.
Stoke City 0-0 Sunderland
The referee thankfully ends this game. Frustrating result for both teams, but ultimately fair. On the run of play, Stoke were the better team but Sunderland deserve their point.
Written by
Michael Penkman
Michael Penkman
