Charlie Adam scored a late winner to fire Stoke City to a 2-1 comeback victory over Southampton in their Premier League clash at the Britannia Stadium this afternoon.
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The Potters started the game well as Mame Biram Diouf went on a bustling run down the flank and cut the ball back to Steven N'Zonzi 25 yards from goal, but he blasted his effort over the bar.
Southampton had an appeal for a penalty as Sadio Mane was brought down in the box by Stephen Ireland, but referee Mark Clattenburg waved away the appeals.
The Saints put the appeal behind them as they took the lead in the 22nd minute when Steven Davis's corner was flicked on by Jose Fonte. The ball looked to be heading into the net, but Morgan Schneiderlin ensured that it crossed the line by tapping it home.
The visitors put together a promising attacking moved which released the run of Nathaniel Clyne down the right flank. The full-back had time and space to fire at goal, but he could only put his strike over the bar.
Stoke had a great opportunity to level just before the break when the ball was flicked on into the path of N'Zonzi at the back post, but the midfielder failed to make contact with the ball to turn it into an empty net.
In the second half, the Potters drew level within two minutes of the restart as N'Zonzi lined up a strike which crashed off the woodwork, and Diouf was the first to react to bundle the rebound into the net.
Southampton came close to retaking the lead when Mane beat Begovic to the ball and cut it back to Dusan Tadic, but the winger's effort was blocked on the line by Glenn Whelan, while the keeper managed to save the follow-up strike.
The Potters turned the game on its head in the 84th minute when the ball fell kindly into the path of Adam, who drilled his volleyed effort into the ground, and the ball looped over Kelvin Davis and into the net to secure the win for the hosts.
Simon Sinclair
