EPL: West Brom 1-1 Stoke

Peter Crouch heads into an open net to earn Stoke a point at West Brom

Peter Crouch punished a defensive mix-up to earn Stoke a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw with West Brom at the Hawthorns.

The hosts had looked set to extend their perfect start to the Premier League season when Jay Rodriguez broke the deadlock in a low-key contest with a 61st-minute header - his first league goal for the club.

But defender Ahmed Hegazi inexplicably swiped at a ball goalkeeper Ben Foster had come to claim and Crouch, not long off the bench, stooped to gleefully nod into an open net with 13 minutes remaining.

Foster was incensed, his team-mates denied the chance to join Manchester United at the top of the fledgling table, but Stoke, who saw two half-hearted penalty appeals waved away in the first half, might have snatched victory late on and a draw felt fair.

 

Salomon Rondon's bulk had helped earn a couple of early home corners but James Morrison's fifth-minute header bounced up off the turf and wide and Stoke soon settled in the sunshine.

The Baggies' first-half threat failed to extend much beyond set-pieces but Mark Hughes' side struggled to make possession count against typically organised opposition, the half's best chance falling to Kurt Zouma, whose snapshot (24) took a hefty deflection off Gareth Barry and sent Ben Foster scrambling.

Choupou-Moting fell in the area over Chris Brunt's boot, referee Anthony Taylor unmoved by the exaggerated tumble as well as the tussle, and another penalty appeal when a ball struck Brunt's arm (41) was rightly dismissed.

Saido Berahino drew boos as he warmed up in front of former fans, but a dour contest was finally elevated when Allam Nyom gave Xherdan Shaquiri the slip and whipped in a ball that Rodriguez darted in front of his man to meet.

Hughes called for Crouch but Hegazi offered aerial threat when he met a lofted free-kick (65), before Rodriguez saw a looping header hit the bar.

Albion were suddenly in the ascendancy but momentum slowly won was surrendered when Ramadan Sobhi swung in an innocuous-looking ball, only for Hegazi to make an unwanted intervention.

Choupo-Moting had a lae chance to further punish the hosts but could only lash into the side-netting, the sides forced to settle for a point heading into the international break.