Match ends, Stoke City 1, Cardiff City 2.
StokeStoke City1CardiffCardiff City2
Cardiff City captain Sean Morrison had a remarkable evening of lows and highs as his side came from behind to win away against Stoke City.
Morrison scored an own goal to hand the hosts a first-half lead, turning a Tyrese Campbell cross into his own net from close range.
The Bluebirds centre-back then conceded a penalty after the break, but Stoke substitute Sam Vokes' effort was saved by Alex Smithies.
Robert Glatzel then came off the bench to equalise for Cardiff before Morrison sealed his redemption by heading in the winning goal from a corner.
A fourth successive win lifts Cardiff up to ninth in the Championship table, two points behind Stoke who drop to sixth.
And although the Welsh side had seemed destined for defeat for much of this encounter, this was a particularly satisfying result as it was the first time they had won from a losing position since 2019.
This was a meeting of two in-form and miserly teams who had both kept clean sheets in each of their three previous matches.
While Stoke had their eyes on the automatic promotion places, Cardiff were looking to extend a run of three successive wins which had alleviated the pressure on manager Neil Harris.
Attacking openings were scarce during the early exchanges but, in Campbell, Stoke had the game's likeliest source of an opening goal.
The 20-year-old academy product gave an early glimpse of his threat when he cut inside from the right and curled a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area narrowly wide.
Then after 25 minutes, Campbell evaded Joe Bennett inside the box and played a low cross which appeared to glance Smithies' hand before deflecting in off a helpless Morrison.
Stoke offered little else in the final third for the rest of the first half but neither did Cardiff, whose efforts amounted to a long-range shot from Harry Wilson.
It was a better game after the interval, Stoke captain James Chester close to doubling the home side's lead when his header crashed against the crossbar.
The Potters were dealt a blow when Campbell was forced off injured, although his replacement Vokes played a fine pass to Nick Powell, who was brought down by the seemingly luckless Morrison to earn his side a penalty.
But Vokes' spot-kick was saved by Smithies, who dived to his right and parried the shot away at a comfortable height.
That was a turning point for Cardiff, who were level 10 minutes later.
Joe Ralls swung a deep cross towards the back post, where an unmarked Glatzel took a touch and settled himself before whipping the ball into the top corner.
The Bluebirds then completed their comeback when another Ralls cross, this time from a corner, found a similarly unmarked Morrison, whose header bounced into the ground and into the roof of the net to cap a remarkable turnaround for the skipper.
Cardiff City manager Neil Harris:
"It's fantastic, I'm so pleased for the players. It wasn't a game for the purists - it was a really tough, physical battle between two good, aggressive Championship sides.
"The conditions were absolutely awful with the wind and the rain and the cold, so credit to my players for digging in and staying in it.
"To have the confidence and belief to come from behind against a team that's been in top form, that was impressive."
Line-ups
Stoke
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 32Bursik
- 14SmithBooked at 62minsSubstituted forInceat 81'minutes
- 37Collins
- 12Chester
- 3Fox
- 24Cousins
- 35TymonSubstituted forOakley-Bootheat 81'minutes
- 26CampbellSubstituted forVokesat 55'minutes
- 25Powell
- 11McCleanBooked at 73mins
- 18BrownSubstituted forShawcrossat 72'minutes
Substitutes
- 5Lindsay
- 7Ince
- 9Vokes
- 17Shawcross
- 20Oakley-Boothe
- 23Verlinden
- 28Lonergan
- 38Porter
- 39Forrester
Cardiff
Formation 4-4-2
- 12Smithies
- 7Bacuna
- 4Morrison
- 16Nelson
- 3Bennett
- 23WilsonSubstituted forGlatzelat 60'minutes
- 8RallsSubstituted forPackat 80'minutes
- 6VaulksBooked at 24mins
- 27OjoBooked at 90mins
- 29M HarrisSubstituted forWhyteat 80'minutes
- 10MooreSubstituted forBambaat 89'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Phillips
- 9Glatzel
- 11Murphy
- 13Benkovic
- 18Cunningham
- 20Whyte
- 21Pack
- 22Bamba
- 32Bagan
- Referee:
- Tony Harrington
Match Stats
Home TeamStokeAway TeamCardiff
- Possession
- Home50%
- Away50%
- Shots
- Home5
- Away4
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away2
- Corners
- Home3
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home13
- Away11
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Stoke City 1, Cardiff City 2.
Booking
Sheyi Ojo (Cardiff City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Sean Morrison (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Nick Powell (Stoke City).
Substitution
Substitution, Cardiff City. Sol Bamba replaces Kieffer Moore.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Sheyi Ojo (Cardiff City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Post update
Corner, Cardiff City. Conceded by James Chester.
Post update
Foul by Nick Powell (Stoke City).
Post update
Sean Morrison (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Sean Morrison (Cardiff City).
Post update
Nick Powell (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Corner, Cardiff City. Conceded by Ryan Shawcross.
Substitution
Substitution, Stoke City. Tom Ince replaces Tommy Smith.
Substitution
Substitution, Stoke City. Tashan Oakley-Boothe replaces Josh Tymon.
Substitution
Substitution, Cardiff City. Gavin Whyte replaces Mark Harris.
Substitution
Substitution, Cardiff City. Marlon Pack replaces Joe Ralls.
Post update
Foul by Robert Glatzel (Cardiff City).
Post update
Josh Tymon (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal!
Goal! Stoke City 1, Cardiff City 2. Sean Morrison (Cardiff City) header from the left side of the six yard box to the top left corner. Assisted by Joe Ralls with a cross following a corner.
