Stoke City 0-1 Bournemouth: Junior Stanislas slots late winner for Cherries in Potteries

Junior Stanislas stuck his late chance under Stoke keeper Josef Bursik to secure all three points for Bournemouth in the Potteries

Junior Stanislas scored the only goal of the game as Bournemouth shaded Stoke City in a low-key Championship encounter in the Potteries.

The Cherries midfielder raced clear down the inside-left channel late on to latch onto a superb Lewis Cook through ball before drawing Josef Bursik out and slipping a low left-foot shot under the Stoke keeper.

Striker Dominic Solanke had wasted a similar first-half chance when set free by another superb 60-yard lofted Cook pass.

The on-rushing Bursik did enough to distract him and, although the Cherries top scorer executed a neat right-foot chip over him on the run, he gave the ball too much flight and it clipped the bar before going over.

But Stanislas showed how it should be done with a 79th-minute winner that helped Bournemouth bounce back from the defeat at Brentford – their first in six games.

That lifted Jason Tindall’s side to third, keeping them within two points of second-placed Swansea City and six behind leaders Norwich City, with a game in hand on both.

Bournemouth top scorer Dominic Solanke clipped the best effort of the first half at the Bet365 Stadium onto the top of the crossbar

Stoke, badly missing injured top scorer Tyrese Campbell, have dropped to eighth, two points outside the play-off zone, after failing to score for the fourth time in six games.

On a cold night at the Bet365 Stadium which had second-half snow flurries compared to the fog which shrouded Wednesday’s game against Nottingham Forest, it was another match dominated by two hard-working but overmanned midfields.

Nick Powell diverted Stoke’s best chance wide, a first-half header, but just when they looked set to suffer a sixth 0-0 draw this season, and fourth in seven games, Stanislas struck with the Cherries’ first effort on target.

They might have had a second but for Diego Rico’s shot being blocked before Stoke substitute Sam Vokes went close against his old club with the final effort of the game. Defeat left the Potters with one win in eight matches.

Both sides are now in FA Cup third-round action on Saturday, Stoke at home to Leicester, while Bournemouth go to Oldham.

The Cherries resume in the Championship at home to Millwall on 12 January, when they will have an opportunity to use up their game in hand and move into the top two.