Stoke snatched a point at Manchester United as Joe Allen capitalised on a spill from David de Gea to punish the hosts’ lax first-half finishing.
After a string of saves from Lee Grant before the break, United made the breakthrough when substitute Anthony Martial swept home a curling shot.
It appeared to be a fatal blow to a Stoke side who had rarely threatened.
But when De Gea failed to hold Glen Johnson’s shot and Jon Walters’ follow-up came off the bar, Allen poked in.
Paul Pogba rattled the bar with a header as United mounted a late siege on the Stoke goal, but Mark Hughes’ side clung on to the point that takes them off the bottom of the table.
Stoke have still won just once this season, but this result far outshines August’s 4-0 EFL Cup win at Stevenage.
Hughes’ side briefly looked like they could be overwhelmed after conceding the opening goal, but they recovered their composure to take the final opportunity that came their way.
Johnson’s shot from the edge of the area took a slight deflection, but De Gea appeared to be caught between pushing the ball away and catching it and ultimately did neither.
The Spanish goalkeeper is one of the few United players whose stock has risen in the turbulent post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford, but he was not allowed to forget his rare error as Allen – who had missed his side’s best chance until that point – pounced.
Stoke’s resilience was rewarded and the visitors will go into their league meeting with bottom side Sunderland after the international break with renewed confidence.
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