Verdict: Stoke City 1 Manchester City 1

A game of two halves saw Roberto Macini’s side grateful to be level at half-time and gutted to be the same at the final whistle. An extra time equaliser for Stoke took the shine off Micah Richards’ brilliant opener which looked to have given us victory at an icy Britannia Stadium.

On reflection a draw was a fair result given our timid first half performance. Tottenham and United may have won at the Britannia this season, but Stoke are now in good form and the icy pitch was more than a leveller – it gave Tony Pulis’ side a distinct advantage.

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Player ratings: Stoke City v Manchester City

Hart – Showed good judgement during a testing first half. Unfazed by Delap’s throws and was confident when coming for the ball. 7

Richards – Very poor in possession during the first half, but made up for it with sublime skill to break the deadlock. Realising the defender would expect him to lay the ball off, then spinning into the vacated space was a piece of attacking play better than anything offered by Balotelli, Silva et al. 7

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