FA Cup Semi Final - Bolton Wanderers 0 Stoke City 5
Published: 18 April 2011
by JOHN EVANS
FA CUP SEMI FINAL AT WEMBLEY STADIUM
BOLTON WANDERERS 0 STOKE CITY 5
Attendance: 75, 064
BOLTON lost the plot early in front of a Wembley crowd of 75,000, to gift a place in the FA Cup final to Stoke City.
Tony Pulis’s squad fired five goals past them and Matthew Etherington was named man-of-the-match.
This could be seen as harsh on the other playmaker-of-the-day, Jermaine Pennant, Kenwyne Jones who troubled Bolton’s defence all afternoon, and Jon Walters, who rounded off a fine team display with two goals in the second half.
Bolton were chasing the game after the 11th-minute opener by Etherington, whose firm shot to Jussi Jaaskelainen’s left followed a neat build-up down the right including Pennant but also a sloppy ball back across goal by Bolton’s Paul Robinson.
To that point the Trotters and the Potters had roughly matched each other in effort, possession and in midfield, but the men in red soon began to play with the greater poise and had the benefit of a big majority of committed fans behind them.
Chants were heard of “you haven’t sold all your tickets” from some of the Stoke faithful.
The second goal came after just 17 minutes following a speculative ball into the Bolton box. Gary Cahill could only head clear as far as Robert Huth, unmarked in the centre, and the Premiership’s leading defender in terms of goalscoring made no mistake, driving confidently past a frustrated Jaaskelainen.
On half an hour the Potters put the game beyond the Lancashire team when Pennant softly dispossessed Martin Petrov well inside the Stoke half, turned inside and, after a run of 40 yards or so, easily found his Number 9, again unmarked, on the left.
Jones made no mistake in slotting the ball past the keeper and Stoke had all but secured the first FA Cup final place in their club’s history.
So it was to prove and they will now return to London to play Manchester City on May 14.
It was more of the same in the second half, with the occasional Bolton foray but lacking any cutting edge.
Just after the hour mark, Etherington was fouled on the left and from the free kick a great chance fell to Walters.
Though the attack was cleared, the passage of play left defenders Zat Knight and Gretar Steinsson having words with each other. And their talk continued four minutes later after Walters, picking up the ball on halfway, made amends for his miss by running first outside then inside the defence and let loose a precision shot from over 25 yards into the far corner of the net.
Matthew Taylor brought a fine save from Thomas Sorensen at the other end on 72 minutes but this was a rare chance for Bolton.
On 74 Pennant was cynically scythed down by Robinson and referee Howard Webb issued the first yellow of the match. In truth it could have been red, and Pennant was forced off a couple of minutes later.
Walters capped the day off for his team with their fifth on 81 minutes.
Jones, again was cleared, finding space this time on the right and the ball bobbled its way across the goal to the far post where Walters chipped in from close in.
Cahill also picked up a yellow card about five minutes before the end.
After the match, Bolton manager Owen Coyle put forward no excuses, accepting his side had underperformed in what was the biggest semi-final defeat for any side since 1939.
He said: “We haven’t performed anywhere near what we are capable of ding. It was a great opportunity today and we haven’t maximised that… Goals change games but, having said that, here are ways of losing games even when things go against you and that wasn’t one of them.”
And he had genuine praise for Stoke’s “terrific” play on the day.
And a jubilant Stoke City boss Tony Pulis reciprocated, praising Coyle’s side and their achievements both in the Premiership and for a good cup run.
He also reflected on the quality of football’s strength in depth.
He said: “This is a very special country for football. This country for me is the greatest football nation in the world. The way it’s structured and the way it’s run”
While the “Man Citys the Arsenals and the Chelseas,”he said, might go away from the rest, “we must ever forget and the Premiership must never forget to look after the other clubs”.