Stoke had 63% of the ball and fewer chances than Bristol City

A goalless draw at the bet365 Stadium where the home side kept the ball and took the shots, but the visitors had the better chances.

Stoke City spent most of this goalless draw with the ball, and that is the surprising part. They kept 63% of possession against Bristol City, where their usual home share over the season is 45.8%. A side that keeps that much of the ball usually creates a good deal, yet the scoreboard shows nothing at all, so the real question is what they did with it.

Possession only tells us who had the ball, not what they did with it. A better measure is expected goals, or xG, which gives each shot a value from nothing to certainty based on how often such chances go in. Stoke's total was 0.31, well short of their home average of 0.63. Bristol's total was higher than Stoke's, though it was also below their away average of 1.11, so both sides fell under the league average of 1.39 per team.

Shots tell the same story from another angle. Stoke took 11, which is close to what they usually manage, but only one was on target and seven came from inside the box. Bristol City had 8, well below their away average of 13.8, and none of them was on target. The home side got into the shooting positions far more often, while the visitors struggled to get a shot away at all.

Stoke's back line had a quieter afternoon than usual. Bristol's chances were worth far less than the 1.47 that Stoke usually concede at home. Collins made the only save of the match for Bristol City and was rated 7, while Wilmot, rated 7.1 and the best of the home players, had two shots of his own. Galbraith won nine individual duels for Stoke, the most of any player listed for either side.

The discipline was uneven. Stoke received one yellow card, while Bristol City took two and committed 13 fouls to Stoke's seven. Knight, who was on the Bristol side and rated 6.7, won eight duels himself, so the visitors were busy in the midfield battles even without the ball. Both sides made four changes, and neither changed the scoreline.

The point leaves both clubs where they were. Stoke sit sixth in the table on 19 points from 11 matches, while Bristol City are 15th on 14. Bristol have now won only one of their last six away matches, and this draw did little to change that picture.

Player of the matchB. Wilmot1 chance created7.1

B. Collins1 save7.0

B. Lawal1 chance created7.0

A. Randell2 minutes6.9