BBC Sport
City had high hopes of getting something from their trip to Stoke at the weekend. They had won their previous three games and, with no midweek fixture, the tired legs of the players who were still fit within an injury-ravaged squad had some welcome extra recovery time.
By 3.25 on Saturday afternoon the game was over as Stoke raced to a three-goal lead and by the end were well deserving of an emphatic 5-1 win.
City were slow to start whereas Stoke seemed fired up by their manager, Mark Robins, and deservedly took a fourth-minute lead. Gerhard Struber’s men played their way back into the game but what happened in the 21st minute was, based on performances to date, a wholly uncharacteristic…
