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Fuller's Potters pip Pompey to points
Ricardo Fuller's superb strike earned Stoke a 1-0 win over Portsmouth, who missed a first-half penalty through Kevin-Prince Boateng on Sunday.
Fuller: Celebrates his match-winning goal
The Potters pinched all three points - and moved up to ninth in the Premier League table - after Matty Etherington and Dean Whitehead combined brilliantly to set up Fuller, who curled the ball past a diving Jamie Ashdown into the bottom corner from 18 yards on 74 minutes at the Britannia Stadium.
Ashdown was only on the pitch due to a calf injury suffered by David James in the pre-match warm-up - and by the look of the England stopper's face in the stand, he clearly fancied himself to have saved
Fuller's right-footed strike.
Pompey may be propping up the top tier, but they should have been 1-0 up early on after earning a debatable penalty on eight minutes.
Rory Delap was harshly penalised for a high kick on Aruna Dindane in the box, but Boateng took on spot-kick duties and his tame sidefooted effort was easily saved by Thomas Sorensen diving to his left.
That let-off gave the hosts a massive lift and both Fuller and Etherington volleyed attempts narrowly off target before James Beattie finally tested Ashdown with a curling 25-yard free-kick.
After the break, Robert Huth headed a good chance wide and Ashdown had to be alert to save Fuller's miscued shot from close range.
At the other end, Sorensen pulled off a stunning diving save to deny Jamie O'Hara's 30-yard banana kick.
And that proved vital in the closing stages, as a flowing move on 74 led to
Fuller grabbing the headlines and pocketing the points for Tony Pulis, with Andy Wilkinson almost putting the icing on the cake when he fired inches over the crossbar in stoppage time.
Ricardo Fuller's superb strike earned Stoke a 1-0 win over Portsmouth, who missed a first-half penalty through Kevin-Prince Boateng on Sunday.
Fuller: Celebrates his match-winning goalThe Potters pinched all three points - and moved up to ninth in the Premier League table - after Matty Etherington and Dean Whitehead combined brilliantly to set up Fuller, who curled the ball past a diving Jamie Ashdown into the bottom corner from 18 yards on 74 minutes at the Britannia Stadium.
Ashdown was only on the pitch due to a calf injury suffered by David James in the pre-match warm-up - and by the look of the England stopper's face in the stand, he clearly fancied himself to have saved
Fuller's right-footed strike.
Pompey may be propping up the top tier, but they should have been 1-0 up early on after earning a debatable penalty on eight minutes.
Rory Delap was harshly penalised for a high kick on Aruna Dindane in the box, but Boateng took on spot-kick duties and his tame sidefooted effort was easily saved by Thomas Sorensen diving to his left.
That let-off gave the hosts a massive lift and both Fuller and Etherington volleyed attempts narrowly off target before James Beattie finally tested Ashdown with a curling 25-yard free-kick.
After the break, Robert Huth headed a good chance wide and Ashdown had to be alert to save Fuller's miscued shot from close range.
At the other end, Sorensen pulled off a stunning diving save to deny Jamie O'Hara's 30-yard banana kick.
And that proved vital in the closing stages, as a flowing move on 74 led to
Fuller grabbing the headlines and pocketing the points for Tony Pulis, with Andy Wilkinson almost putting the icing on the cake when he fired inches over the crossbar in stoppage time.
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