Stoke City defeated Fulham 2-1 in a match that shifted considerably in its final half-hour, with the hosts looking comfortable until Fulham mounted a late response that ultimately came too short.
Jun-ho Bae opened the scoring on 19 minutes, giving Stoke an early foothold they defended with reasonable composure. Timothy Castagne doubled the advantage just before half-time, and the second half began with Fulham facing a familiar problem: how to breach a defence that showed little intention of opening up.
Kevin pulled one back for Fulham on 55 minutes, and from that point the visiting side pushed with greater urgency. What followed was a chaotic sequence of substitutions on both sides between the 74th and 90th minutes, suggesting both managers were attempting to reshape the contest. Bae picked up a second yellow card at 74 minutes, reducing Stoke to ten men at the same moment Issa Diop and Raúl Jiménez came on for their respective sides. Emile Smith Rowe, Ben Pearson, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Harrison Reed, Harry Wilson, Aaron Cresswell, Steven N'Zonzi, Million Manhoef and Sander Berge all entered the field in quick succession.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Stoke managed the closing minutes well enough to see out the result. Fulham created pressure but lacked the composure to convert it into a leveller. The three points stay in the Potteries.
Recap generated from the event timeline. Editorial team review by request. How we use AI.
