CLUB STORIES

A brilliant moment from Million Manhoef clinched a tightly contested 1-0 win for Stoke City against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon. The Netherlands Under-21 star delivered a flawless strike past Argyle's goalkeeper, Conor Hazard, securing the victory just eight minutes before the final whistle. This came after Hazard had repeatedly thwarted Steven Schumacher’s team from taking the lead.

Stoke City made history by fielding their youngest starting lineup ever in a league match, with an average age of just 22. Despite their youth, they managed the game well, with goalkeeper Viktor Johansson making several crucial saves to ensure the Potters recorded their fourth clean sheet in six matches for the 2024/25 season.

Schumacher made four changes to the team that narrowly lost to West Bromwich Albion in their previous Championship game. This included first league starts of the season for Ryan Mmaee, Andrew Moran, and Ashley Phillips, while Wouter Burger also returned to the lineup.

The match was action-packed from the start, with Johansson called into action early on to deny Morgan Whittaker twice within the first ten minutes. The Swedish goalkeeper first caught a powerful low shot, then acrobatically saved a 25-yard attempt, leading to an Argyle corner and a near chance for them to take the lead.

Manhoef, showcasing his speed, broke through the defense during a counter-attack, but Hazard was resolute, blocking both Manhoef's initial shot and the follow-up attempt from Junho. A subsequent corner saw Burger's powerful low drive saved by Hazard once more.

Manhoef found himself with another opportunity after receiving a superb pass from Burger, but Hazard was again equal to the task, saving Manhoef's attempted chip. As the half progressed, Koumas and Junho combined on the left, with Junho's lobbed effort narrowly missing the target.

Stoke City maintained pressure as halftime approached, with Manhoef and Moran setting up Junior Tchamadeu, whose shot went over the bar. The second half began with Stoke continuing their momentum, and ten minutes in, Koumas outpaced Argyle defender Szűcs, setting up Mmaee for a shot that sailed just over the crossbar.

As the match progressed, Argyle found their rhythm, buoyed by their supporters. Johansson was called upon to make crucial saves, first from Ibrahim Cissoko's edge-of-the-box strike, then a goal-bound drive from Whittaker.

Schumacher made a triple substitution with Ben Gibson, Sol Sidibe, and Niall Ennis entering the fray. Argyle's coach, Wayne Rooney, responded with changes of his own, including Michael Obafemi, whose first touch was a shot tipped over by Johansson.

Sidibe then played Manhoef into the right channel, but once again, Hazard was there to deny him. Substitute striker Ennis also came close, turning Szűcs in the box before his shot was blocked by Adam Forshaw.

Finally, with eight minutes remaining, Manhoef delivered the decisive blow. He shifted the ball onto his left foot, evaded Bali Mumba, and unleashed a shot into Hazard’s bottom left corner, leaving the goalkeeper helpless.

In the closing stages, Schumacher brought on 17-year-old defender Jaden Dixon and Lynden Gooch to help manage the additional seven minutes of stoppage time, securing Stoke City's first victory at Home Park since 1987.