Stoke 1 Everton 2: Cenk Tosun ends visitors troubles on the road

Cenk Tosun has previously been held up as the latest example of Everton’s poor recruitment but the striker is finally justifying his £20m transfer fee.

Tosun’s two goals ended Everton’s troubles on the road and sentenced Stoke to a defeat which leaves them feeling the icy chill of the relegation trapdoor.

The Turkish striker’s 84^th-minute header secured Everton their first victory away from Goodison Park since December 13 and perhaps Sam Allardyce’s decision to utilise a sports psychologist was a shrewd one after all. Tosun now has four goals in three games and, on this evidence, could succeed in the Premier League.

Paul Lambert, the Stoke manager, will probably need an escapologist after this damaging defeat keeps them in the bottom three, with Charlie Adam sent off after half an hour.

In front of the bet365 Stadium’s biggest ever crowd of 30,022, it was at times unbearably tense but Tosun’s predatory instincts, and Adam’s reckless moment, leaves Lambert with a huge challenge on his hands.

Lambert has never been relegated as a Premier League manager but time is running out for him to fulfil his latest assignment.

This was surely must-win territory but the unpredictable weather and Adam’s controversial dismissal gave them a snowy mountain to climb.

Adam had clearly been eager to make an impression but his lunge on Wayne Rooney was late and referee Martin Atkinson immediately produced the red card.

Stoke’s players were furious, with Xherdan Shaqiri even dramatically throwing off his gloves, yet the challenge was ill-advised considering the slippery conditions. Lambert spun round angrily in his technical area, his gameplan in tatters.

Everton struggled in the first-half to capitalise on their numerical advantage but started to slowly exert more pressure in the second period. Finally, goalscoring chances began to materialise.

Rooney, predictably booed for most of the afternoon, tested Jack Butland with a free-kick from 25 yards.

Glen Johnson, making his first start for Stoke since October, also volleyed straight at Jordan Pickford before Butland was forced to make an ugly save from Michael Keane’s swirling shot.

Everton’s goal had a whiff of inevitability and it was a messy strike 21 minutes from time. Tosun’s header was saved by Butland and then Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s effort was brilliantly cleared off the line by Kostas Stafylidis, only for Tosun to then turn in the loose ball.

Stoke deserved their equaliser for dogged persistence and substitute Eric Choupo-Moting flicked Joe Allen’s 77^th minute set piece past Pickford to set up a frenetic finale. It was Choupo-Moting’s final contribution, after a nasty collision with the Everton goalkeeper.

Any Stoke hopes of a precious point were ruined by Tosun’s header, from Theo Walcott’s cross, to end a dismal run of five successive away defeats. This felt like a defining afternoon for Stoke, and Lambert, yet their hopes of avoiding relegation now appear increasingly forlorn.