Stoke upsets Chelsea 3-2 with superb late strike

Substitute Oussama Assaidi stunned Chelsea with a superb

90th-minute winner on Saturday as Stoke claimed its first league

victory over the Blues in 38 years.

Stoke dented Chelsea’s title drive with a 3-2 victory in the

Premier League after on-loan Liverpool winger Assaidi came on six

minutes from time and his first real contribution was to pick the

ball up on the left, cut inside and unleash a ferocious shot into

the top corner after being set up by Stephen Ireland.

Chelsea provisionally slipped to third on goal difference behind

Liverpool.

The visitors led with a 10th-minute opener from Andre Schurrle

who picked the ball up in midfield, held off Ryan Shawcross and

Glenn Whelan before shooting across Asmir Begovic and into the

bottom corner.

But Peter Crouch leveled three minutes before half time after a

break instigated by Geoff Cameron, who found Jonathan Walters down

the right. His cross was just out of the reach of Ireland but Marko

Arnautovic won a corner and his delivery was turned in by

Crouch.

Stoke carried the momentum into the second half and went ahead

in the 50th.

Walters broke down the right and squared the ball for Ireland,

who took one touch to control before curling a precision shot in

off the far post.

A free kick by Juan Mata was half cleared by Crouch to Schurrle

on the edge of the box, who once again produced a clinical finish

into the far corner.

Schurrle almost completed his hat trick in the 57th but although

he beat Begovic again his curling shot bounced off the bar.

Schurrle’s hat trick hopes were ended as Mourinho sent on Frank

Lampard and Samuel Eto’o, and the latter swiftly had a sight of

goal but poked his shot just wide.

Stoke’s last win over Chelsea came in the League Cup in 1995

when Potters manager Mark Hughes was in the Blues side, while their

most recent league victory was in 1975.

The result ended Chelsea’s three-match winning run.