Lowe bags treble as Potters defeat Manchester City
Stoke City’s free-scoring Under-21s extended their winning run to five games in style as they beat Manchester City 5-1 at St. George’s Park on Monday night.
On an evening on which first team players Ben Wilmot and Tyrese Campbell featured for 45 minutes, it was young striker Nathan Lowe who grabbed the headlines as the 18-year-old fired in a second half hat-trick to add to his strike in last week’s win against Norwich City.
Will Smith gave the Potters a first-half lead before Lowe’s first two goals came either side of a Kane Taylor effort for the visitors.
A late Liam McCarron goal was followed by Lowe’s third, which came from the penalty spot in the seventh minute of additional time, as Alex Morris’ side made it 19 goals scored in their past five fixtures.
The Potters opened the scoring 13 minutes into the fixture when Smith glanced a Campbell cross beyond City goalkeeper George Murray-Jones at his near post for the 18-year-old midfielder’s maiden goal of the campaign on his third PL2 appearance.
Morris’ side continued to dominate for the remainder of the first half and created numerous chances, including a determined header from Campbell that met the chest of Jones midway through the first 45.
Shortly after the restart, the Potters doubled their advantage as Lowe latched onto a through ball from Emre Tezgel before blasting a powerful shot into the top corner.
Lowe’s second arrived seven minutes from time when he showed his natural instincts to dispatch a cut-back from substitute Kahrel Reddin into Jones’ net.
In-between the 18-year-old’s first and second strikes, the visitors had pulled one back through Taylor as he chipped the ball into Blondy Nna Noukeu’s goal.
Mahamadou Susoho was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card in the game’s 93rd minute before McCarron scored the Potters’ fourth with a superb strike from 25 yards.
Lowe then completed his perfect performance with the last kick of the game after Reddin was brought to ground inside the penalty to allow Lowe to punch the resulting spot-kick beyond Jones.
Morris’ side will go in search of a six successive win later this month when they travel to Rush Green to take on West Ham United on Friday, January 26
