Cardiff City earned a decent point on the road against an on form Stoke City side.
The Potters enjoyed the majority of chances in the first half, the best of the bunch coming when Dwight Gayle found himself in behind the Cardiff defence, however he couldn't find a way past Bluebirds shot-stopper Jak Alnwick. The Bluebirds best chance of the half came late on as Callum Robinson struck the post.
Cardiff dominated the second half, but the game changed when Rubin Colwill and Kion Etete were introduced. Colwill breezed past Stoke but failed to pick the right pass. The Bluebirds came late on as substitute Ryan Wintle thought he had put The Bluebirds in front, but a great save from Potter's keeper Jack Bonham kept the game level, and that's how it ended.
Player Ratings:
Jak Alnwick (6.5) - Made a decent stop to deny Dwight Gayle in the first half. Distribution once again let The Bluebirds keeper down.
Perry Ng (7.5) - Yet another impressive outing from the right-back. Kept a good winger in Vidigal quiet for his time on the pitch. Helped the team advance up the pitch with some nice passes down the line.
Dimitrios Goutas (7) - Once again making vital interceptions to keep sides out. Dominant in the air.
Mark McGuinness (6.5) - A defensively solid afternoon for Macca. The only slight issue was on the ball, a few times he passed straight to a Stoke player in dangerous positions. Other than that, a trademark McGuinness performance.
Jamilu Collins (6) - Was shaky in the first half, Ki-Jana Hoever got in behind several times as JC wasn't tracking him. Improved in the second half.
Manolis Siopis (7) - Typical Sio performance. A nuisance for the opposition for 90 minutes due to his engine. Stopped several Stoke attacks with key interceptions. Hope the wrist injury isn't too bad.
Joe Ralls (7) - Solid outing from The Bluebirds skipper. Seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. One or two good deliveries from set pieces/corners.
Callum Robinson (6) - A quiet afternoon for Robbo. Just lacked that final touch, one or two times we were in good positions and he just picked the wrong ball.
Josh Bowler (8) MOTM - A constant threat. Enda Stevens just couldn't deal with him. The ball sticks to his foot like it's glue. Had Meite played him through he could've possibly had a goal as well.
Karlan Grant (6.5) - Personally thought Grant had a decent game against a good right-back. Wasn't on the same wavelength as others at times despite being in good areas. His pace is always a threat for The Bluebirds.
Yakou Meite (6) - Unfortunately he was just marked out of the game. Not helped by the fact Michael Rose had a stormer for the hosts. Held up the ball decently. Probably should've played through Bowler.
Subs:
Kion Etete (7) - An impressive return for Etete. Held up the ball well and was in the right places at the right time.
Rubin Colwill (8) - A performance that deserved to be on a winning side. Stoke just didn't know what to do with him. He was just breezing past midfielders that have played at this level for years. He's set his standard, he now has to match that every week.
Ollie Tanner (7) - The right sub at the right time. Made the impact expected. His directness caused the Stoke defence a couple of issues.
Ryan Wintle (6.5) - Really unlucky not to score. Kept things simple, wasn't too bad.
Summary
A decent point against a Stoke side that is on the up. One thing learned, Colwill must start next weekend.
Next time out, The Bluebirds host Norwich in their last game before the International Break.
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