Stoke City 0-0 Cardiff City: Bluebirds settle for stalemate at Stoke

After winning each of his first five Football League encounters with Cardiff, Stoke manager Alex Neil is now winless in his last seven league games against them.

Stoke and Cardiff settled for a point apiece as a cagey contest ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the bet365 Stadium.

Both sides maintain their recent unbeaten runs after a draw that was probably a fair result in a game of few clear-cut chances.

Dwight Gayle missed two good chances for the hosts late in the first half.

The Bluebirds also had opportunities to find a winner but a lack of composure in front of goal cost both teams the opportunity to take all three points.

The draw sees both sides slip in the Championship, with Cardiff down to seventh and Stoke to 12th.

Both sides came into this contest in good form, with the Bluebirds in particular exceeding the pre-season expectations of supporters.

The Welsh club started the afternoon in the play-off spots thanks to back-to-back Championship victories, with boss Erol Bulut unsurprisingly naming an unchanged starting XI from the side that beat Bristol City in what turned out to be Nigel Pearson's final game in charge of the Robins.

The Potters have also been in good form, taking nine points from their previous three games as they shrugged off a disappointing September with statement victories against Sunderland, Leeds United and Middlesbrough.

However, Stoke's recent record against the Bluebirds was less encouraging, having failed to win their last six games against Cardiff.

It was the visitors who started confidently with Mark McGuinness' early header saved by Jack Bonham, while the goalkeeper also reacted quickly to beat Karlan Grant to the ball after a loose back-pass.

Stoke's first opportunity arrived on 19 minutes as Ki-Jana Hoever produced a dangerous cross, but Andre Vidigal could not find the target.

It was the hosts who began to exert control as they chased four successive league wins for the first time since they were a Premier League side in 2011, but despite dominating possession, they could not create a clear-cut opportunity.

The Bluebirds remained a threat on the break but Callum Robinson fired over and McGuinness headed wide from Joe Ralls' teasing cross.

Cardiff might well have been punished for failing to take their chances but Dwight Gayle missed the best chance of the half when he failed to find the target after Wouter Burger's teasing cross, before Jak Alnwick denied him on the stroke of half-time as he raced clear.

Both managers turned to their benches after the break in a bid to find a breakthrough but the contest became increasingly cagey at the minutes ticked on, with each attacking move from either side seeming to break down due to an errant final pass or a mistimed run.

Josh Bowler's deflected shot caused Stoke a brief moment of panic, while at the other end Michael Rose's header from a corner flew over the crossbar.

Neither side were settling for a point and Josh Laurent flashed a shot over the bar with the final opportunity for the hosts.

It was the Bluebirds who almost stole three points deep into time added on, but Bonham produced an excellent save to deny Ryan Wintle with McGuinness heading wide from the subsequent corner.

Stoke City manager Alex Neil:

"A point was probably a fair result but obviously we wanted to win it.

"We played extremely well in the past three games and all our chances today came in the first half.

"We had two or three really good chances to score but unfortunately didn't take any. If we take a chance then it becomes a different game

"We were wasteful with the ball more than what we've been, and that's the biggest thing I'll take from the game."

Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut.

"I'm really happy with my players, they've made big progress.

"It's not easy for many players here when we remember the last two years with what's happened and how we started pre-season and the first games.

"It's not easy to change everything in a positive way. Right now we've done it but we need to continue in that way and keep believing in our target.

"We knew that it was going to be a tight game because Stoke have had three great wins against great teams."