Stoke sub Jacob Brown came off the bench to earn a point at HuddersfieldStoke City substitute Jacob Brown blasted a superb second-half equaliser to earn Michael O’Neill’s faltering Championship play-off contenders a point at sixth-placed Huddersfield.
It looked like the Potters’ luck was out when Josh Koroma’s hugely deflected goal put the Terriers ahead just six minutes after he could have been sent off for a totally unpunished knee-high challenge which connected with on-loan Stoke defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Stoke then had two strong penalty claims turned down before they finally drew level when Brown shot home from 18 yards, after on-loan Aston Villa midfielder Jaden Philogene-Bidace had been denied by the post.
That was enough to lift Stoke a place to 10th before the rest of the weekend Championship fixtures.
Relive Huddersfield’s draw with StokeIn the end it was a fair result from a game which began slowly, with the hosts in the ascendancy, but ended with Stoke on top, regenerated by the half-time arrival of Wales midfield dynamo Joe Allen and supplemented by the introduction of fit-again Nick Powell and Scotland international Brown.
Huddersfield extended their longest unbeaten run since the 23-match streak under Lee Clark in 2011, that ended only with defeat by Peterborough in the League One play-off final.
But it could also have ended so differently had referee Gavin Ward viewed two key moments in a different light as, in the space of less than 10 first-half minutes, Stoke suffered three horrendous moments of fortune.
Josh Koroma’s opening goal came just six minutes after he could have been sent offFirst, on 21 minutes, Harwood-Bellis – on loan from Manchester City – got caught on the knee by a shocking studs-first challenge from clumsy home striker Koroma.
Then just six minutes later, Koroma opened the scoring with a right-foot shot that took a big deflection off Ben Wilmot to loop over Potters keeper Jack Bonham.
And almost straight after the goal, Stoke were denied a chance to equalise when they had what looked a stonewall penalty claim turned down after Tyrese Campbell went down in the area under a challenge from home defender Tom Lees.
But, despite having lost six of their previous nine league games, O’Neill’s Potters showed what they are made of and fought back well, especially after being turned down with another shout for a spot-kick.
After skipper for the night Lewis Baker’s 68th-minute drive was well held by home keeper Lee Nicholls, Stoke finally got their breakthrough when Philogene-Bidace pounced to intercept a loose pass from Ollie Turton before blasting a right-foot shot against the left post, which rebounded across the box to Campbell.
But Wilmot calmly picked up the loose ball, squared to his left and Brown let fly with a superb right-foot strike which flew into the net to beat the keeper all ends up.
Huddersfield Town boss Carlos Corberan:
“Josh Koroma played his best 45 minutes in the first half but he needs to extend that over more minutes.
“We were really aggressive in the first half. We spent a lot of mental and physical energy but we could not keep that up in the second half. Maybe I should have introduced the substitutes I made earlier.
“We were breaking and pressing very well in the first half and, while Lee Nicholls made an amazing save for us, we were controlling the game and everything was fine.
“There was no intention to play deeper but we did not attack well and didn’t create any problems for them. Every time we tried to play short, we were losing the ball in our half of the pitch.”
Stoke boss Michael O’Neill had plenty to say to referee Gavin Ward and his officials at the final whistleStoke City manager Michael O’Neill told BBC Radio Stoke:
“It was a really poor display by the officials. Koroma shouldn’t have been on the pitch. It’s a poor challenge on Taylor.
“It’s a straight-leg challenge, knee high. It’s a straight red card. And then, to rub salt in the wound, he scores the goal with a deflected shot.
“It’s then a clear penalty for the foul on Tyrese Campbell and there was another for Lewis O’Brien’s challenge on Jacob Brown.
“But it shouldn’t take away from our performance, especially second half. We were second best in the first half but then, in our third game in six days against a side who haven’t had a midweek game, we got better and we probably should have got more than we did.”
Line-upsHuddersfieldFormation 4-4-2
21Nicholls
20Turton4Pearson32Lees3Toffolo
16Thomas6Hogg8O’Brien10Koroma
24Sinani25Ward
21NichollsBooked at 79mins20Turton4Pearson32Lees3Toffolo16Thomas6Hogg8O’BrienBooked at 83mins10KoromaSubstituted forHolmesat 73’minutes24SinaniSubstituted forHighat 80’minutes25WardSubstituted forRhodesat 73’minutesSubstitutes9Rhodes14Ruffels15High19Holmes23Sarr37Russell42BilokapicStokeFormation 4-2-3-1
13Bonham
16Wilmot19Jagielka24Harwood-Bellis14Tymon
42Baker15Thompson
10Campbell8Vrancic47Philogene-Bidace
9Fletcher
13Bonham16WilmotBooked at 44mins19Jagielka24Harwood-Bellis14Tymon42Baker15ThompsonBooked at 5minsSubstituted forAllenat 45’minutes10CampbellBooked at 79mins8VrancicSubstituted forPowellat 59’minutes47Philogene-Bidace9FletcherSubstituted forBrownat 64’minutesSubstitutes2Smith4Allen7Clucas18Brown25Powell29Fielding32Wright-PhillipsReferee:Gavin Ward
Attendance:16,342
Live TextMatch ends, Huddersfield Town 1, Stoke City 1.
Second Half ends, Huddersfield Town 1, Stoke City 1.
Attempt saved. Jacob Brown (Stoke City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Jacob Brown (Stoke City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Jacob Brown (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Duane Holmes (Huddersfield Town).
Attempt blocked. Lewis O’Brien (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Joe Allen.
Attempt saved. Scott High (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Harry Toffolo.
Attempt missed. Duane Holmes (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Jonathan Hogg.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town).
Phil Jagielka (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town).
Foul by Josh Tymon (Stoke City).
Oliver Turton (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jaden Philogene-Bidace (Stoke City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield Town).
Lewis O’Brien (Huddersfield Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Lewis Baker (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.