STOKE CITY 3 (Davies og 27, Shawcross 35,  Sidibe 44)
SOUTHAMPTON 2 (John 46, 54)

CITY (4-4-2): Simonsen; Griffin (C), Cort, Shawcross, Pugh; Lawrence (Zakuani 88), Diao, Whelan, Delap; Sidibe, Fuller. Subs: Hoult, Gallagher, Pericard, Parkin.

SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): Davis; Ostlund, Powell (C), Davies (Wright-Phillips 82), Wright; Viafara, Idiakez (McGoldrick 90), Euell, Surman; Saganowski, John. Subs: Hammill, Lallana, James.

Minute-to-minute report

3:45 - Glenn Whelan's thunderous strike from just outside the area hits a Southampton body en route to goal following a great cross from Andy Griffin.

3:57 - Free kick awarded for the Potters twenty yards away from goal when Ricardo Fuller was brought down soon after collecting the rebound.

6:15 - A short free-kick see's Danny Pugh fire over.

8:50 - Dangerous ball into the back post dealt with excellently by the returning Andy Griffin.

9:21 - Good skill down the right flank by Liam Lawrence ended with a cross but Andrew Davies was on hand to see it safely to the keeper and deny Mamady Sidibe a goalscoring opportunity.

17:11 - Good move down the right flank involving Mamady Sidibe and Ricardo Fuller earns the Potters a corner.

18:42 - Free kick awarded to the Potters on the edge of the area on the left flank after Mamady Sidibe was fouled. Liam Lawrence is shaping up to shoot...

19:53 - Danny Pugh knocks it to one side and Liam hammers it towards goal but it flies inches wide of the back post with the keeper beaten.

24:41 - Another free-kick awarded to the Potters as Alexander Ostlund brings Danny Pugh on the edge of the box near the corner flag.

26:33 - GOAL!  Liam Lawrence's corner kick from the left causes a massive scramble involving Mamady Sidibe and see's Southampton's Darren Powell strike the ball onto the post and into the back of his own net. Both Andrew Davies and Powell went to clear the ball after Kelvin Davies saved from Ryan Shawcross's shot, but the ball came off Powell's outstretched shin enroute to the back of the net. Stoke 1 Southampton 0

34:36 - GOAL! A corner for the Potters see's Ryan Shawcross rise high and power home a header into the top corner of the net. Two-nil to City!

39:17 - A fair but crunching tackle by Andy Griffin see's Ricardo Fuller race onto the ball down the right but after cutting in down the byline he's unable to find a pass or get a shot in.

44:36 - GOAL! Another City corner see's Mamady Sidibe leap to power home a header and grab his first goal of the season! 3-0!

HALF-TIME

45:04 - GOAL! The visitors pull one back barely into the second half when Stern John drilled a left footed strike past Steve Simonsen to give the Saints a glimmer of hope.

51:23 - Good work on the left hand side for City results in Rory Delap latching onto the ball in the area but his left footed strike fires into the back of the Boothen End.

53:30- GOAL! Southampton get another back when Stern John beats the offside trap in the area and buries the ball into the back of the net from 6 yards out. 3-2!

55:16 - The visitors are getting on top now and test keeper Simonsen with two strikes in the space of a minute.

57:33 - Leon Cort blocks another attempt on goal from six yards out as the City team look all at sea. The corner count is also racking up for the Saints.

64:36 - Attendance is given as 19,481 with 345 visiting supporters.

65:12 - A long range strike from Jason Euell is deflect en-route to goal and wrong foots Steve Simonsen. Luckily for the City keeper is rolls inches wide of the post and out for yet another corner.

74:50 - City get back into the game and a curling Liam Lawrence free-kick goes straight through the bodies in the middle of the penalty and forces Kelvin Davies into a great save to tip the ball around the post.

76:27 - Salif Diao presses the opposition excellently high up the pitch and bursts through on goal after dispossing a Saints defender. Andrew Davies gets back however and blocks Diao's shot for a corner.

81:45 - Davies is then substituted for Wright-Phillips after failing to recover from an injury sustained when challenging Diao.

85:36 - Leon Cort's header flies inches wide after defender connected to Liam Lawrence's left sided corner.

87:12 - Gabriel Zakuani comes on to replace Liam Lawrence.

89:07 - David McGoldrick is on for Inigo Idiakez.

FULL-TIME