TONY PULIS praised the character of his side after watching them claim their third away draw in four games in the Barclays Premier League at Everton.
City's manager was delighted with the performance as Robert Huth headed the Potters in front before they were pegged back by a stunning Leon Osman strike.
Pulis commented: "It's like chalk and cheese when you compare this to the way we performed against Manchester United and I'm delighted with the response.
"We got absolutely murdered when we came here last season, but this time we stood up and took the punches, which is great credit to our battling qualities."
He added: "This was a much better performance than the one we produced against United last week, in fact the side was barely recognisable compared to that. There was more character about the way we performed and I thought we deserved the point in the end.
"Everton are a very good team and they mix it up well, but they don't half test you in the box as well. They fill the box with big, strong, powerful players and it's a real test for you to withstand that sort of pressure, especially after they threw on Jo and Yakubu late on and effectively operated with three big strikers.
"On the other hand, had we been a little bit more careful with our final ball in the closing stages then we could have won it by hitting them on the break when they were pressing for a winner in the closing stages of the game."
Pulis is encouraged by the way City have performed on their travels this season, with their only defeat in four games coming a short distance away at Anfield.
"We look much stronger in away matches this season and that is reflected in the fact that we have deserved the draws we have achieved. Indeed, in at least a couple of instances we have been disappointed to come away with just a point, although I thought it was a fair result today," he said.
Everton boss David Moyes felt that City probably benefited from the fact that his side had a long trip last week for their Europa League game.
"Maybe after the trip to Belarus, we didn't quite have that spark to break Stoke,"he commented. "I can't fault the players because I thought we played well.
"We didn't have the players available to make changes and freshen it up, and there were situations throughout the game where we made the wrong decisions in good areas. Overall, I thought we performed well, but credit to Stoke for the way they stood up to the pressure we exerted."
