Stoke City 2-1 Wolves: Crouch header completes comeback to send visitors closer to relegation

A second-half winner from Peter Crouch gave Stoke City a 2-1 win over Wolves at the Britannia Stadium, leaving the away six points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League table.

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Wolves took the lead in the first half through Michael Kightly’s fluke goal, only to be pegged back, for the third successive match, by a Robert Huth volley, before Crouch pounced to give the Potters all three points.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis made just one change from the side that lost 2-0 at Wigan last week, with the injured right-back Andy Wilkinson being replaced by Ryan Shotton.

Wolves captain Roger Johnson was left on the substitutes’ bench by boss Terry Connor, with Ronald Zubar coming in at right-back and Richard Stearman moving across to central defence. Karl Henry, replacing youngster David Davis in midfield, reclaimed the captain's armband.

The Potters were appealing for a penalty after just 90 seconds when Henry appeared to impede Walters but all appeals were quickly dismissed.

The away side, with just one win in their last 17 Premier League games, gradually started to make an impression on proceedings and had their first attempt on goal in the 13th minute, but Ebanks-Blake's tame shot was comfortably gathered by Asmir Begovic.

Stoke should have taken the lead on 22 minutes when Crouch nodded Marc Wilson’s cross back along the six-yard box, but, with the goal gaping, Walters was unable to convert the chance only to see Wolves take the lead just three minutes later.

Michael Kightly cut inside and clipped a pass towards David Edwards, only to see the ball skid off the turf and past Begovic to the embarrassment of the goalkeeper.

Spirit renewed by an unlikely lead, Wolves looked to exert their authority. Kightly and Jarvis started to become more influential, picking the ball up in spaces between the home side’s midfield and defence, but their final delivery continued to lack quality.

However, they were dealt a sucker-punch when Robert Huth got on the end of Etherington’s controversial freekick to blast home a volley through the legs of Hennessey from 15 yards to level matters.

Wolves came out the strongest after the break, with Sebastian Bassong going close with a header after getting on the end of a fine delivery from Kightly.

But Wolves were to be punished for their profligacy again as Peter Crouch towered in a header from Jermaine Pennant’s delivery to send Stoke into the lead.

If Wolves supporters were despondent at seeing their side give away another lead, at least the form of their often-injured winger Kightly will have given them something to smile about, and it was from another of his driving runs, that they should have equalised.

A jinking run saw him skip past Etherington, Wilson and Huth before rolling the ball across the six-yard line, only for Ryan Shotton to divert the ball behind for a corner when Matt Jarvis appeared destined to equalise.

With the game drifting away from his side, Connor waited until the 82nd minute to make his first change, bringing on Kevin Doyle for Ebanks-Blake, who had offered little in the way of goal threat.

Unfortunately the Ireland international little more to test the Potters’ defence and Wolves slipped to their sixth straight defeat.