Stoke vs Swansea match report: Swans secure point after late fight back

This was an occasion which revealed why ambition alone will not take Stoke to the moon, while despite natural concerns for a club in their seemingly fragile position, Swansea should not worry too much about what lies beneath.

Stoke’s two-goal lead was as comfortable as you can get when facing opponents at the wrong end of the table – opponents, indeed, performing in a manner which suggested they were accepting of their fate on this particular afternoon.

And yet, Gylfi Sigurdsson goal from nowhere inspired hope and from there, it suddenly seemed inevitable a recovery would happen.

Ultimately, Stoke don’t have enough quality available to them due to injuries to push into the Champions League places and Swansea – with Sigurdsson influential in attack and Ashley Williams roaring orders from the back – possess enough leadership to ensure they will not be a Championship club next season.

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Swansea are now 10 points ahead of 18th placed Sunderland and Francesco Guidolin believes another three from their remaining six games should be enough to secure safety.

Guidolin’s claim that Swansea had displayed the necessary “character and courage” in a first half where Stoke’s lead should have been much greater than one was generous, though he deserved credit for identifying Swansea’s lack of width and making two critical substitutions, in turn abandoning a diamond shape in midfield.

The introductions of Jefferson Montero and Alberto Paloschi proved inspired, with the Ecuadorian winger supplying the Italian striker with enough service to heighten Stoke’s concerns to a point where they almost folded completely.

Paloschi’s equaliser took a deflection off Philipp Wollscheid and the nick deceived Jakob Haugaard, a Premier League debutant for Stoke after Jack Butland was ruled out until next season with a fractured ankle.

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Mark Hughes, the Stoke manager, was satisfied with Haugaard’s performance and did not want to dwell on the suggestion that he could have done better with Swansea’s first goal, a moment where the 23-year-old Dane seemed to have enough time to adjust his feet to maybe stop Sigurdsson’s strike going in.

Haugaard was selected ahead of Shay Given because the veteran Irish goalkeeper has only returned to full training with Stoke’s first team squad in the last few weeks.

Hughes, indeed, is battling with the reality that he will have to extract the best out of the players he has available to him. Aside from Butland, Jonathan Walters, Xherdan Shaqiri, Ryan Shawcross, Glen Johnson and Marc Wilson were missing here and without them, Stoke are likely to finish the season in a mid-table position.

“I was pleased up to a point,” Hughes said. “But losing a two-goal lead feels like a defeat.”

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It had all started so well for Stoke. Ibrahim Afellay’s opener was a consequence of sluggish Swansea defending. Five markers did not recognise the Dutch winger standing alone in the centre of the six-yard box. When Bojan Krkić rifled in a second before the hour mark, the outcome appeared settled.

“For some reason, 2-0 is the most vulnerable lead to have in football,” Hughes added. “A third goal would have taken the game away from Swansea.

“But we couldn’t find it.”

Stoke City (4-2-3-1): Haugaard; Bardsley, Cameron, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan (Ireland 81), Imbula; Afellay, Bojan (Diouf 74), Arnautović; Joselu . Subs not used: Given, Muniesa, Adam, Crouch, Choulay.

Swansea City (4-3-1-2): Fabiański; Rangel, Fernández, Williams, Naughton (Taylor 82); Fer, Britton (Montero 61), Cork; Sigurdsson; Routledge, Gomis (Paloschi 71). Subs not used: Nordfelt, Amat, Ki, Emnes.

Match rating: 6/10

Man of the match: Bojan

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Attendance: 27, 649