Norwich City 1 Stoke City 1: Stoke’s pressure finally pays off and Norwich lose grip on win

Ritchie de Laet had scored against his former club to put the Canaries in front at the break.

After Jon Walters saw his penalty saved following Leon Barnett’s red card on the hour, it looked as if Norwich would hold on only for Stoke’s pressure to eventually tell with Jones nodding in from close range.

The key incident of the match occurred just after the hour when Walters got ahead of Barnett and into the Norwich box before tumbling.

Referee Neil Swarbrick ruled Barnett had tripped him and, as the last man, awarded a penalty and then sent the Norwich defender off.

Walters took the spot-kick himself, but John Ruddy guessed correctly to make a fine save.

Stoke, though, were to have the final say as Norwich were made to pay for some deep defending during the closing stages, which saw the visitors pour forward and in the third minute of added time Jones headed in Glenn Whelan’s cross.

Lambert lamented the penalty decision, saying: “It was at least three yards outside the box, so how he gives the penalty, I don’t know, and then he has given the red card.

“It would have been a free-kick anywhere else on the pitch, but was not a sending-off – you are getting a double hit.

“We were on the back foot against a really good side, but the effort of the lads was excellent.

“When you go down to 10 men at this level it is really tough. With 11, I think we would have seen it through.”

Stoke manager Tony Pulis was pleased with the way his team continued to fight until the end of what has been a tough week which saw them travel to Switzerland for the first leg of their Europa League qualifier.

“We were a little bit flat in the first half, but credit to Norwich, they did smashing,” he said.

“I thought we should have had a penalty in the first half, for De Laet’s challenge on Walters, and then before the lad was sent off we created three or four great chances. It was just a case of banging on the door and hoping it would open, we had to wait late until it did.”

Stoke lost winger Jermaine Pennant to a calf problem in the first half.

Pulis said he hopes to add “three or four” new players to his squad this week.