Pulis anger as City escape

Stoke City 1, Man City 1

Stoke boss Tony Pulis was left fuming after Manchester City snatched a controversial draw to move fourth in the Barclays Premier League last night.

Pulis was furious that his 10–man side were denied a stoppage–time winner at the Britannia Stadium when referee Alan Wiley ruled Ryan Shawcross had fouled goalkeeper Shay Given before heading home.

Stoke had been pegged back to 1–1 after 85 minutes when Gareth Barry cancelled out Glenn Whelan’s 72nd–minute opener.

Pulis’ anger did not end there. His side had been dominant throughout the first half as City struggled to handle their unashamedly direct and physical style.

The momentum shifted as Abdoulaye Faye was shown a straight red card for pulling down Emmanuel Adebayor, but it was still Stoke who seized the initiative through Whelan.

Pulis had no complaints about the dismissal of Faye but was aggrieved that a number of unspecified incidents went unpunished in the first half.

Pulis would not give details but was assumed to have been angered by a moment when Patrick Vieira appeared to kick Whelan between the legs.

Manchester City’s point was enough to lift them above Liverpool and into fourth ahead of the two sides’ meeting at Eastlands on Sunday.

City still have a game in hand on the Anfield side but manager Roberto Mancini viewed the latest result as an opportunity missed.

After Liverpool, City will then have to play Stoke for a third time in less than two weeks in an FA Cup fifth–round replay.

When asked if he was looking forward to returning to the Britannia Stadium, Mancini joked: “I’m happy!”