I never thought that I would be saying the following sentence, but Charlie Adam’s incredible performance against Manchester United yesterday saw Stoke come away with all three points. Yes, the same Charlie Adam that is notorious for his horrific challenges, his wayward passing and his sly digs at opponents.
There’s no doubt that United will have been hurt deep down by the loss as they now sit 13 points behind Manchester City having played a game more than their rivals, but they are also six points behind Liverpool in fourth who they have also played a game more than.
He only completed 23 passes but what he did with them was what counted, and he opened up United’s feeble midfield with ease.
He had four shots, which included two goals, and also caused trouble in the United box with nine crosses. The first of his goals had an essence of luck about it as his free kick took a huge deflection to leave David De Gea wrong-footed, but his second was a complete peach. After a miscued shot by a team-mate, he swung a leg at it from outside the box and it nestled in the top corner.
Adam has also proved that he can beat a man as he won half of his take ons, but he also chipped in defensively. He made four clearances, won a free kick and won his only header of the game.
Mark Hughes and the Stoke fans would have been thrilled with his display.