Manchester City – Stoke City

Good evening one and all and welcome to Manchester City's clash with Stoke at Eastlands for a place in the FA Cup quarter finals.

Man City: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillps, Barry, De Jong, Ireland, Adebayor and Petrov.

Stoke: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Higginbotham, Tuncay, Diao, Whelan, Etherington, Sidibe and Fuller.

So no Carlos Tevez for City. Apparently he's gone back to Argentina for the birth of his child.

Chelsea, Portsmouth and Birmingham have already booked their places in the quarters. Which of these two will join them? I'll go for a narrow City win. Ha, see what I did there?

We're off...

Stoke's line up suggests they'll have a go tonight, with Tuncay lining up on the right of midfield behind Sidibe and Fuller. It's all City to start with though.

Fabio Capello is in the stands today, presumably checking out Bridge, Lescott and Wright-Phillips. And maybe Matthew Etherington too, who has been in good form of late.

Bridge skips round Huth and gets to the byline but Sorensen prevents his cross getting to Adebayor.

Sidibe gets down the left but can't deliver a ball of any note. In fact he can't get it past Zabaleta, who was two yards away.

Etherington aims a deep cross for Tuncay but it is too strong for the Turkish international.

Bridge skips past Whelan and feeds Adebayor neatly but Huth gets a foot in.

Good football as Ireland feeds, Petrov and his low cross is claimed bravely by Sorensen as SWP slid in.

A wrestling match between Fuller and Toure as they race to get onto Etherington's pass. Corner.

The corner is cleared, Tuncay fires in a volley but it hits his own players, then he clatters into Bridge but the ref gives a Stoke throw in.

GOAL! SWP!

Oh dear me, a calamity from Shawcross. SWP raced clear onto Ireland's pass, he chipped it over the 'keeper. Shawcross misses it on the bounce five yards from goal, slips, then heads it into SWP's path and he taps in from a yard.

That was a true comedy of errors. Shawcross had two chances to stop that goal and he failed miserably both times.

Etherington is down after a clash with Bridge. At the other end Sidibe does well to win the ball in the air and it drops for Fuller, 16 yards out but he volleys high and wide.

Etherington is being loaded onto a stretcher and Liam Lawrence comes on. What a shame, especially with Capello in the stands.

Sidibe clips Barry and Man City have a free kick 30 yards out and central.

Petrov bends his effort wide of the post with Sorensen right on the spot.

Could be a medial lingament job for Etherington. It was more of a slip than anything, but you could see his knee buckle under him. Horrible.

A spell of Man City possession...

SWP plays it to Ireland but Diao robs him on the edge of the box.

SWP looks for Adebayor at the back post but Wilkinson nods behind for a corner.

Looking at the replay SWP may have been a yard offside for the goal. It was borderline anyway.

Fuller gets down the right but his cross lacks pace and direction, so pretty much everything really.

A nice exchange between Bridge and Petrov down the left but Sorensen comes out.

Another good tackle on Ireland from Diao on the edge of the area.

Fuller wins a free kick from Barry and Lawrence whips it in. Fuller meets it but his glance is over the bar.

Great work from Tuncay as he faints Zabaleta, his back post cross is met full on the volley by Lawrence but Bridge is the right man in the right place at the right time and he blocks the goalbound shot.

Huth leaps to try and meet the corner but crashes into Sidibe instead. He's now down in the goalmouth. Another corner.

Awful pass from Higginbotham. Right out of play under no pressure at all.

Lawrence hits it long looking for Tuncay but Given is out. Higginbotham is limping slightly after a clash with Adebayor.

SWP tricks Wilkinson and the Stoke defender gets a booking for dragging him back.

Petrov gives the ball straight to Fuller and despite having Sidibe with him the striker decides to have a pop. Lescott blocks.

Huth lumps a high ball into the box but Given is out to collect.

Wilkinson is getting skinned verytime by SWP. He brings him down just outside the box and gets a yellow card. Apparently, the ref decided against booking him last time, despite having his cards out.

Petrov wastes the free kick, which was out on the right. He just hoofs it over the bar. His colleagues are not amused.

A lovely move down the left breaks down when Ireland can't return Petrov's ball.

Lawrence is clutching his knee. Maybe he got a bash on it as Ireland went past him. Could be one of those nasty knee caps jobs.

Higginbotham has nearly scored the goal of the FA Cup so far. The ball came out to him 30 yards from goal, he knocked it up then volleyed it a foot wide of the post.

Lawrence is back on but he's struggling a bit, illustrated by his lack of control just then.

Adebayor looks to get on the end of Petrov's cross but Shawcross makes sure the ball doesn't reach him. Liam Lawrence, the sub, is being subbed due to injury. Rory Delap is coming on.

Tuncay whips a free kick from the left right at Given and that's half time. See you in 15 minutes.

We're off again...

Delap tries to feed Fuller but the striker had strayed offside.

SWP skins Wilkinson again but Delap is there to make sure he can't get a cross or a shot off.

SWP cuts inside and has a go and a deflection off Wilkinson takes it behind for a corner.

De Jong picks up the cleared corner and finds Barry inside the area, but his shot lacks conviction and flicks the side netting on the way through.

Fuller and his manager scream for a foul as Lescott bundles him off the ball. Nothing doing from Clattenberg though.

Bridge has looked good going forward in this game and he sweeps round two again before Barry is fouled. Free kick on the left.

Ireland crosses but Sorensen grabs it.

Petrov outpaces Huth before checking back on his left and crossing, a combination of Shawcross and Wilkinson eventually clear their lines.

Andy Wilkinson is coming off and Danny Collins is coming on.

Fuller trips Zabaleta then tries to kick through him to reach the ball.

GOAL! Fuller!

Guess what? Quarterback Delap chucks it into the box, Fuller gets up and nods it into the net. Simple as that.

Fuller nearly grabs another! The ball bounces over Zabaleta's head, then he waits for Given to come out and there is a desperate tangle of legs before the 'keeper grabs the ball.

That goal has brought the travelling fans out in song. "We only score from throw-ins.."

Adebayor tries a trick on the left and ends up kicking the ball out of play. Very funny.

Petrov comes off and Santa Cruz comes on. To absolutely no noise from the home fans at all.

A lovely one-two between Fuller and Tuncay but Zabaleta tracked the former's run and Given could collect the ball comfortably.

Now Sidibe has gone down after Toure gave him a kick. Not sure if it was intentional

Delap tries a long throw and then boots the ball out of play when it comes back to him.

Now Fuller trudges off with a head knock. I'm sure he'll be back on though. Stoke have made all three subs don't forget.

Zabaleta threads a ball through to SWP, who takes it but stumbles at the same time and Higginbotham concedes a corner.

A spell of Man City pressure at last after a few balls into the box trouble Stoke. They have another corner.

Vieira is preparing to come on as Stoke win a corner.

It was a throw in fact and Delap's effort was turned back into the box by Diao before Whelan's effort was blocked.

Only an excellent intervention from Lescott prevents Tuncay a clean run on goal after Zabaleta's mistake.

Ireland comes off for Vieira. To a slight titter of applause. The home fans are asleep.

Tuncay knocks a free kick on the right side to Whelan but his effort is too close to Given. He hit it with power though.

Chance for Adebayor as he takes down a cross on his chest and swivels. He was off balance though and it was on his left side. It goes wide.

The camera pans to faces in the crowd and they all look bored.

Whelan goes for a Figueroa style effort but hits the stands not the net.

Diao concedes an unnecessary corner after SWP crossed. Vieira has a go when it broke to him, then as the ball is turned back in Sorensen makes a superb save from Barry's header.

This corner comes out to Bridge and his effort is deflected behind for another corner....

Sidibe ambles back but then gives it the full gun as SWP sprints down the right. The winger took it too far and Stoke have a goal kick.

Vieira wrestles Diao to the ground and as the move goes on Wright-Phillips has a pop that hits the side netting. Vieira's was a blatant foul.

Santa Cruz and Huth labour towards the byline and Man City get the corner.

Great battle between De Jong and Fuller in the middle of the park. Stoke win the free kick.

Tuncay gets a few yards of space down the left but gets into the box and can't get round Shawcross.

A poor ball from Vieira as Man City try to press now. He picks it up again and feeds Adebayor but his deflected shot isn't troubling Sorensen.

Now Man City scramble to clear as Stoke pin them in their own box. Both sides want to win this without a replay. Vieira tugs Diao and now Stoke do have a chance to get quality into the box.

A poor free kick, and this game is edging towards a replay.

Bridge wins a corner now and City have a late chance to snatch a place in the last eight.

No they don't, the linesman gives a goal kick!

Four minutes added....

Adebayor chests into Santa Cruz's path but Higginbotham blocks his shot, then the Paraguayan has a chance to win it as Vieira finds him again. His control is good but his volley, from an angle ten yards out, is not well hit.

Lovely turn from Fuller, now Whelan and Tuncay is slotted in down the right channel but he went for a very ambitious shot and it flies well wide. There was very little support though.

An awful touch from Zabaleta, who has had a poor game, and Man City's last chance to win it may have just slipped by.

Full time and a replay beckons. A few boos from the home fans and their team weren't very fluid at all. Stoke battled hard and had chances to win it. As it is they will do it all again in ten days time.