Late double salvo sees Bristol City hit back to beat Stoke

A late Bristol City double stunned Stoke as the travelling Robins came from behind to win 2-1 in the Championship.

The Potters took the lead before the interval when Nick Powell marked his second start since returning from injury with an accomplished strike.

Alex Neil’s side controlled large portions of the tie as they looked to stretch their unbeaten run to six matches.

But the visitors levelled through defender Zak Vyner with 18 minutes left and then completed their shock turnaround with five minutes to spare when substitute Anis Mehmeti scored his first goal following a January move from Wycombe.

In the process, Bristol City ended their three-match winless run and secured a first away victory since early February.

In-form Stoke, who thrashed promotion-chasing Coventry 4-0 in their last outing, looked to build on their bright start to 2023 from the first whistle.

An intricate early attack saw Powell tee up the onrushing Will Smallbone, but the Southampton loanee could not generate enough power on his flicked effort.

Despite their early threat, the hosts should have fallen behind from Bristol City’s first foray forward.

A hopeful George Tanner long ball sent Nahki Wells through on goal, but the Bermuda international flashed his strike agonisingly wide of the far post.

And the buoyed visitors nearly made their growing momentum count when Andreas Weimann’s looping header nearly eluded goalkeeper Jack Bonham.

However, any threat of a Robins opener was soon extinguished when Powell landed a sucker-punch.

A brisk Stoke attack saw Tyrese Campbell find the run of his unmarked strike partner, who swept a smart first-time finish into the corner.

Attempting to rouse a Robins reprieve, boss Nigel Pearson introduced January recruit Harry Cornick after the break.

And the tactical tweak nearly worked immediately when Weimann met a pinpoint Tanner delivery and converted beyond Bonham. However, the Austrian’s celebrations were cut short when referee Oliver Langford adjudged he had strayed offside.

The hosts looked to put the game out of reach and Campbell nearly obliged with a venomous strike if not for O’Leary’s intervention again.

Bristol City rallied in pursuit of a leveller and they were rewarded when Sam Bell’s precise cross was flicked in by Vyner for the defender’s first goal since February 2021.

A frenetic climax to the fixture ensued as both sides searched for a late winner, and it was the visitors who were victorious.

Wells was afforded freedom to advance forward before he teed up Mehmeti to send the 1,161 travelling supporters into delirium.

Stoke, who were unbeaten in 13 league outings when scoring first, saw their impressive run ended in dramatic circumstances.