Stoke City 2 Huddersfield Town 0: Lambert makes winning start as Potters inch out of bottom three

Joe Allen and Mame Biram Diouf combined to give Paul Lambert three points in his first match in charge of Stoke City.

Published : Jan 20, 2018 22:41 IST

Stoke manager Paul Lambert celebrates.
Stoke manager Paul Lambert celebrates.
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Stoke manager Paul Lambert celebrates.

Paul Lambert enjoyed the perfect start to life at Stoke City as a pair of second half goals secured a vital 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town at the bet365 Stadium.

Managing in the top-flight for the first time in almost three years, Lambert had Joe Allen and Mame Biram Diouf to thank for at least momentarily lifting the Potters out of the bottom three.

Allen brought the match to life after a forgettable first half by putting the hosts on course for a first win in five league matches with a cool 53rd minute opener.

And Lambert, whose last Premier League stint ended in dismissal at Aston Villa, was truly able to celebrate when Diouf doubled the lead at the end of a clinical counter-attack.

The striker started in place of reported Chelsea target Peter Crouch and repaid his new boss' faith by sealing the end of a four-match losing run in all competitions.

Huddersfield never threatened either side of the quickfire strikes as their winless run stretched to six league games, leaving them one point ahead of the rejuvenated Potters.

The Terriers had Lossl to thank for initially preventing a bigger margin as the German denied Shaqiri and Diouf in quick succession.

Shaqiri failed to make the most of a promising breakaway once more as he cut inside and fired straight at the busy German goalkeeper, but the 26-year-old's class eventually shone through for Stoke's second.

Choupo-Moting was gifted possession by Aaron Mooy's loose pass and his ball into Shaqiri's feet was delightfully flicked on to Diouf, who buried his finish to extend the hosts' margin with just over 20 minutes remaining.

Stoke had a chance to further extend their winning margin only for Choupo-Moting blazed over, but the Terriers' blunt attack meant Lambert's men were never in danger of missing out on a much-needed three points.

 

Key Opta stats:

- Diouf’s goal was his 22nd in the Premier League for Stoke – making him their joint-third highest goalscorer in the competition (Jonathan Walters 43, Peter Crouch 43, Marko Arnautovic 22).
- Lambert earned his first win as a Premier League manager in 11 games, since his Aston Villa side beat Leicester City 2-1 in December 2014.
- The Potters kept their first clean sheet in the Premier League since October (1-0 at Watford), having conceded 30 goals in their 13 previous games.

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