3 things we clearly learnt about Stoke City after their 2-1 loss v Crystal Palace

A 2-1 loss to Premier League outfit Crystal Palace has put an end to their Wembley dreams for this season.

Patrick Vieira’s side took the lead in the 53rd minute courtesy of a finish from Cheikhou Kouyate. 

Josh Tymon responded within five minutes to level the scores before the hour mark.

But a late winner in the 82nd minute from Jairo Riedewald sealed the victory for Palace as they progressed to the quarter finals for the first time since 2016. 

Here are three things we learned about Stoke in their defeat… 

Stoke had 40 per cent of the ball throughout the 90 minutes, which is an impressive figure given Palace are a possession happy side in the Premier League.

Stoke were also able to create just as many chances as Palace were despite being away from home.

There was a togetherness with the way that Stoke played that showed they were ready to compete with a top flight opposition.

This was a good test for where Michael O’Neill’s side are.

While it wasn’t a full string Palace side, it was still a great experience for the Stoke team to face such quality opposition.

Stoke offered a constant threat from set pieces against a higher level of opposition which speaks to how dangerous they are from a dead ball.

Palace have shown a weakness in the Premier League to defending set piece situations, but it’s an area they have improved on in recent weeks.

But Stoke created seven attempts from set pieces throughout the night, which accounted for more than half of their chances. 

It was at 1-1 that Liam Moore had his chance saved off the line by a Palace defender when Jack Butland was found in no man’s land.

Romaine Sawyers and Tymon combined well for the goal and it showed the danger that Stoke possess from out wide.

Sawyers drifted to