Maccabi Tel-Aviv 1-2 Stoke City: Substitute Peter Crouch comes off the bench to seal victory after Dean Whitehead’s opener

Stoke City fought to a 2-1 victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv on a rainy Thursday night in Israel, as goals from Dean Whitehead and then Peter Crouch sealed the win.

Maccabi, who sat at the foot of Group E but were unbeaten at home in Europe, put together plenty of passes but lacked any attacking intent for large periods on the game.

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Tony Pulis’ men, who have mastered the art creating chances without a great deal of possession, will be delighted to have won again in Europe and put themselves in a fantastic position for qualification into the knockout stages.

The Potters made nine changes to the side that lost 3-1 on Monday to Newcastle United, with Wilson Palacios starting in midfield, while fellow ex-Spurs had to make do with a spot on the bench.

Maccabi, with five changes to the side that lost the reverse fixture two weeks ago 3-0, started the game looking scared of their physical opponents and looked unwilling to challenge for possession.

The Tel-Aviv club eventually started to dominate possession but they lacked the ability to penetrate the three centre-backs Stoke had deployed and the first 25 minutes was a quiet and dull affair.

A free-kick on the corner of the box for the Yellows offered them their first real glimpse of goal 28 minutes in but Thomas Sorensen saved well to his left from Moshe Lugasi’s left-footed strike.

Potters’ Salif Diao bobbled a shot in from a semi-cleared corner back into the box, which hit the post after deflecting off Robert Huth, but 18-year-old keeper Barak Levi smothered the loose ball.

The home crowd grew restless as Stoke were given a number of free-kicks by referee Duarte Gomes, and one such set-piece gifted Jonathan Walters a header of goal but Levi saved the downwards header well.

Although Maccabi were enjoying the majority of the ball, Stoke countered well and Walters soon had the ball in the back of the net but the linesman deemed him marginally offside from Kenwyne Jones’ headed flick-on.

After a first-half that whimpered to a quiet end, Stoke took the lead 50 minutes in when Whitehead burst through a gap in the defence created by Walters and slotted past the European-debutant keeper in the Maccabi goal.

The Israeli club’s response was muted and limited to long shots and failed attempts at whipping crosses in.

Stoke, on the other hand, were not content with two goals and scored their second after 64 minutes when Whitehead broke through the Yellows’ backline to side-pass substitute Crouch in for Stoke’s second with the forward’s first touch.

Stoke’s attacking instinct was neutered after their second, leaving Maccabi to struggle to get anything from the game as they tried to get a goal back.

They finally succeeded in scoring in stoppage time; Roberto Colautti glancing a header past Sorensen but any late rally for a draw was not to come.