Stoke 3 West Brom 1 - Report and pictures

A dreadful first-half for the Baggies saw them go into the break two-nil down thanks to an opportunistic goal from Joe Allen and a second on the stroke of half-time from the impressive Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Albion pulled one back five minutes into the second half through Salomon Rondon's third league goal of the season, but even though they spent the majority of the last half an hour camped in Stoke's half, they were unable to find the equaliser.

With the last kick of the game, Ramadan wrapped up the points with Stoke's third.

The Potters had lost five of their previous six, leaving Mark Hughes on the brink of the sack.

But just like Huddersfield, and just like Swansea, Albion gave their out-of-form hosts a much-needed victory.

It is now 18 games without a win in all competitions and Alan Pardew has picked up just two points from his first five fixtures.

By clinging on, Stoke stretched five points clear of the Baggies, who will spend Christmas second-bottom.

They were actually on top for large parts, but once again their lack of finishing quality in the final third proved their undoing.

Pardew rewarded Chris Brunt and Gareth Barry with starts in central midfield after their impact off the bench last time out at Manchester United which meant Jake Livermore was pushed out to the right wing.

Hal Robson-Kanu was also reinstated into the line-up as Claudio Yacob and Oliver Burke dropped to the bench.

But there was no place in the squad for £108,000-a-week man Grzegorz Krychowiak or teenage starlet Sam Field because defender Craig Dawson and record signing Nacer Chadli returned to the bench.

Former Baggies captain Darren Fletcher started for Stoke, and he had their first shot of the game six minutes in after Xherdan Shaqiri cushioned the ball down to him on the edge of the area but it was safely gathered by Ben Foster.

Saido Berahino - whose last senior goal came in February 2016 against Pardew's Crystal Palace side - didn't feature, but that didn't stop the travelling support from booing him at every opportunity.

Stoke started Kevin Wimmer and Kurt Zouma - two players Albion were interested in over summer - in the backline.

Brunt made a huge difference in the final 20 minutes against United, and Pardew put him central midfield in an effort to get him on the ball as much as possible and it was working early on.

First, his simple little pass to Salomon Rondon allowed the striker to send James McClean away, but the winger's shot with his weaker foot was too tame to trouble Jack Butland.

Ten minutes later, Brunt squeezed another clever ball forward to McClean, allowing him to run unchecked at the Stoke defence, but his pass was behind Rondon, who checked inside and blazed his shot over.

Both Pardew and Kieran Gibbs turned away in frustration, as Albion's attackers were struggling to capitalise on the openings their midfield were creating.

Albion started brighter but Crouch was winning knock-downs with ease, and it was one of his header's that started the move for Allen's opening goal.

The ball fell to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who ran at the Baggies back-line before seeing his shot blocked by Ahmed Hegazi.

But it bounced kindly into the box for Crouch to smash a volley across goal, where Allen had got in front of Nyom to stab home from close range.

The goal gave Stoke confidence, and for the next ten minutes they were the team on top, zipping the ball around with purpose and asking questions of Albion's back line.

The visitors weathered the storm though and on the half-hour mark, they fashioned a glorious chance for Rondon thanks to a little bit of luck.

Rondon was offside when the ball was played forward, but because Kurt Zouma wrapped his leg around Robson-Kanu and touched the ball into the danger zone, the flag wasn't raised and Albion's striker found himself all alone, eight yards out with just Butland to beat. But he snatched at the chance, and blazed it over.

Teams down the bottom regularly complain they need a slice of luck to get them going, but the difference in the first half was Stoke took their chance, and Albion missed theirs.

Hal Robson-Kanu went down in the box under an arm pull soon after, but referee Neil Swarbrick waved away the appeals.

The Baggies were enjoying a spell of pressure, and there was a better passage of play from McClean and Rondon just before the break when the winger cut inside and put in a dangerous cross with his right foot.

It was knocked down to the Venezuelan, who kept his head down this time and sent a shot destined into the bottom corner, only to see Butland tip it around the post at full-stretch.

But then on the stroke of half-time, they were dealt a sucker punch from Choupo-Moting.

It came from a pretty innocuous throw-in from inside the Stoke half, but Jonny Evans and Kieran Gibbs were dragged too far up the pitch by Crouch and the ball was sent over all three of them.

Allen then outmuscled Barry and sent Choupo-Moting through on goal with one simple pass.

He rounded Foster before dissecting Hegazi and Allan Nyom on the line with this shot.

It was a horrendously simple goal to concede, and meant the Baggies were booed off at half-time by some of the travelling support.

Pardew knew he needed to change it, so he sent Chadli on at half-time for McClean in an effort to rescue something from the game, although his cameo lasted just 15 minutes before he limped off clutching his thigh.

By then, Albion had already pulled one back. It took them just five minutes to get back in the game, and this time, it was the Stoke defending that led a lot to be desired.

Brunt's ball over the top was well-placed but it was still a simple one that somehow found Rondon all on his own on the edge of the box.

This time, Albion's No.9 kept his head, and he slipped the ball under the advancing Butland to bring the visitors right back into the match.

Stoke were rattled, and they spent the next five minutes camped on their box while Albion tried to unpick the lock.

Livermore had a shot blocked and then should have turned and run at Butland when Rondon lifted the ball through to him but for some reason he tried to play it backwards when he was through on goal.

The game got scrappy after that, as one team desperately struggling to create chances tried to break down another team desperately struggling to hold on.

The Baggies should have had a penalty when Rodriguez was tripped by Geoff Cameron as he tried to latch onto a Barry clip into the box, but the striker didn't go down and tried to reach the ball which was snatched by Butland and so Albion's wait for a spot-kick – which is now more than 50 games – went on.

Stoke were finding it difficult to get out of their own half, and Foster was a spectator for much of the second period, but the Albion keeper did pull off a superb save when he clawed away Shawcross's header from a deep free-kick.

With ten minutes to go, Pardew threw Burke on for Gibbs in a last-ditch attempt to get something from the game.

They went agonisingly close twice in injury time. Firstly, Burke's fizzed ball across the box was nearly turned into his own net by young Edwards with Rodriguez lurking, and then Butland punched Barry's header straight at Rondon, but the ball bounced wide of the post.

And then, with the final move of the game, Ramadan wrapped the points up.

The brilliant Choupo-Moting broke away at speed and selflessly passed it sideways to the substitute to gleefully tuck home.

Key moments

20 GOAL STOKE - Choupo-Moting runs at Albion but his shot is blocked by Hegazi. It bounces to Crouch, who fires it across goal and Allen gets in front of Nyom to sweep home.

45 GOAL STOKE - Allen sends Choupo-Moting through on goal and he rounds Foster before dissecting Hegazi and Nyom on the line with his shot.

51 GOAL ALBION - Brunt's simple ball over the top finds Rondon, who slips it under the advancing Butland.

90+4 GOAL STOKE - Ramadan wraps up the points on the break away.

Baggies man of the match

Chris Brunt - Set up the goal and played incisive forward passes throughout.

Position in the table

19th, with 14 points from 19 games

Teams

Stoke (4-1-4-1): Butland, Edwards, Zouma, Shawcross (c), Wimmer, Cameron, Shaqiri (Ramadan 79), Fletcher (Diouf 67), Allen, Choupo-Moting, Crouch, Choupo-Moting. Unused subs: Grant, Souttar, Adam, Afellay, Berahino.

Albion (4-4-2): Foster, Nyom, Hegazi, Evans (c), Gibbs, McClean (Chadli 45, Rodriguez 61), Brunt, Barry, Livermore, Robson-Kanu, Rondon. Unused subs: Myhill, Dawson, McAuley, Yacob, Burke.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Attendance: 29,057 (2,302 away)