I will take that point this afternoon

By Carl Curtis

That was a decent point, a good battling performance and carries on from an excellent result last week. I wrote in my Echo column that I didn’t think today was a must-win but we must be looking to take 4 points from Stoke and Sunderland.

Had anyone offered us 4 points from Southampton away and Stoke home a week or so ago we would have been delighted.

The first half was the best City have played at home in a number of weeks and in particular young Matts Moller Daehli was exceptional, anything that threatened the Stoke goal involved the young Norwegian, he got tricks, vision, good movement and a balance while on the ball that defenders cannot get near him, he made a mockery of Odemwingie on 30 mins, the Nigerian didn’t know whether to look left, right, up or down.

Whittingham deserves credit for his performance and he was desperately unlucky not to score from his free kick that hit the post, along with Mutch and Medel in the middle we looked very strong in the middle of the pitch.

Fabio was another who had an excellent game and I think that both Daehli and Fabio took knocks hence their substitutions.

Zaha was battling and working hard to make things happen when he came on and he looks somewhere near the player we thought we were getting when he signed on loan. The only way Stoke were able to stop him was by fouling him.

The truth and reality is that we were unlucky to concede the penalty and I believe Webb realised at half time and was always going to look to even it up in the second half.

We have to go to Sunderland and get a win otherwise we will need Fulham lose at home to Hull and hope Norwich fail against Liverpool tomorrow and United next week.

If we beat Sunderland then next Sunday evening with two games to go it should be in our hands whether we stay up or not.

I really do believe that it was an excellent point today and a performance that has given me hope, the players didn’t hide, they went looking for a positive result and came so damn close to getting all three points.

It is still a massive task but to be just two points off safety with 3 games to go is a good achievement especially when I, and others, thought that we were doomed weeks ago.

Ole played the same team that beat Southampton and hopefully he will go with same charges next week at the Stadium of Light.