Peter Crouch's late strike downs old club Southampton as Stoke end winless run

Peter Crouch ended Stoke City's four-match Premier League run without a win as a Virgil Van Dijk-inspired Southampton lost their unbeaten away record.

Substitute Crouch won it for Stoke five minutes from time when he stabbed home from a yard out to end Saints' four-match undefeated sequence on the road stretching back to April 25.

Mame Diouf glanced home five minutes before the break to give Mark Hughes's side a deserved lead.

Diouf's first goal since May was cancelled out by Maya Yoshida's 75th-minute volley as Saints drew level after a strong fightback in the second half.

Stoke striker Saido Berahino earned but missed a 43rd-minute penalty on his first start since the opening day of the season as his barren scoring run stretched to 32 games and 582 days.

Stoke made a bright start and created two chances in the first two minutes.

Maxim Choupo-Moting dribbled to the edge of the box in a jinking run only to see his rising drive loop over the bar after a deflection.

Then Joe Allen fired a powerful drive a few inches too high from 20 yards after Diouf teed him up following a partly-cleared corner.

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Darren Fletcher was next to be presented with an opportunity and his volley was blocked by the recalled Van Dijk, making his first start of the season after his dispute with the club.

Southampton's first sight of goal came in the 12^th minute when Mario Lemina advanced before curling wide from 25 yards.

But Stoke continued to look dangerous and they forced the first save of the game after a quarter of an hour when Xherdan Shaqiri's left-foot drive from 12 yards was beaten away by Fraser Forster.

And it took a vital clearance from Ryan Bertrand ahead of Shaqiri to prevent the little Swiss international from putting the Potters ahead in the 23^rd minute after Choupo-Moting split the Saints' defence for Allen to cross.

A minute later though the visitors threatened when Shane Long beat the offside trap after Steve Davis's free kick had been cleared, and, with a smart shot on the turn, forced the first save from Stoke keeper Jack Butland, who sprinted off his line to parry.

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The first flashpoint came on the half hour when Allen was booked for tripping Dusan Tadic, who Stoke claimed caught Choupo-Moting late beforehand.

Stoke carried on probing and Allen and Fletcher had shots blocked by Van Dijk and Bertrand before the hosts took a deserved lead five minutes before the break.

Diouf lost his marker deep inside the six-yard box to glance home Shaqiri's inswinging corner.

Stoke missed the chance to double their lead in the 43^rd minute when Berahino's penalty was saved by Forster diving to his left after the £12m striker won the spot kick after being pushed by Van Dijk.

It was Berahino's fourth consecutive miss from the spot, a run which includded two for West Brom against Watford in April 2016.

Southampton, inspired by the promptings of Mario Lemina and Tadic, were the better team for the start of the second half.

They missed two chances to equalise after Geoff Cameron poked his shot straight at Forster from Shaqiri's cross.

Both fell to Shane Long and both were headers that flew over the bar from right-wing crosses, first from Cedric Soares's centre then from Tadic's delivery.

The Saints made two changes in an effort to drag themselves level, as Sofiane Boufal replaced captain Steven Davis on the hour then Nathan Redmond made way for Manolo Gabbiadini seven minutes later.

But despite dominating possession, the visitors were left frustrated by their inability to penetrate a determined Stoke rearguard.

They laboured away but Lemina's wayward finish high into the stand on 71 minutes was typical of their efforts in front of goal.

Southampton were made to pay for their wastefulness five minutes from time when Crouch stabbed home from a yard out after Choupo-Moting had two efforts blocked following Erik Pieters's cross.