"There is a crucial moment in the game at 1-0 where I thought we had a handball and I just looked again and I think it is a penalty and then two sucker punches really and we have got beat.

"Their keeper has made two good saves, and it is galling really as we are on this run and we are having setback after setback and I feel sorry for the players today as they were brilliant, sometimes you don't get what you deserve and we certainly didn't today.

"We made a couple of errors in those goals and that has cost us. We do not make many errors but we have tonight...that team won't go far short if they play like that at home, they will get a result - it was much, much improved.

"In terms that we have a run of defeats now which looks bad but in all honesty we should not have got beat tonight....our fans were brilliant tonight and the next game is important.

"A couple of mistakes have lost the game for us - it was a game we deserved to win. That’s the sort of season we’re having. We’re not really getting any breaks.

"We’re very much aware that it’s four defeats in a row, and we can’t really complain about some of them. I also thought we should have had a penalty when Shawcross stopped the ball going back to Cisse.

"There were a couple of errors for the goals, but it was such an improved display.

"Sometimes it’s just about a bit of confidence - we gave him (Cisse) a different role, and some responsibility to score goals.

"I thought he might come up with a goal without the responsibility of playing him on the side, and he did - he was terrific all night.

(When asked if his team were in a relegation scrap):

"Well, we are now, and no it’s not too early. We can’t bury our head in the sand, and we have to get wins to get out of it.”

Another day, another defeat for Alan Pardew and his beleaguered players, but at least those fans who followed the side to the Potteries on Wednesday saw them take the lead and give a more committed display than when losing at Southampton in their last outing.

But what threatened to be another memorable midweek trip to this horrible venue, turned sour in five forgettable minutes towards the end of the game and there wasn't to be a repeat of the joy provided last season by Demba Ba's fabulous hat-trick.

If we'd held out for a win it might have been slightly fortunate but there would certainly have been some disappointment in a draw, having got within ten minutes of the final whistle. But a defeat was certainly rough justice and desperately hard to take as we trudged away into the freezing night air pointless again.

To be honest, we hadn't really contemplated any other result before the match but as the game panned out it looked increasingly likely that we'd defy expectations and leave with our first victory on the road this season. Stoke were surprisingly poor and having got to the break goalless, taking te lead was a huge boost for fans and players alike.

Our goal came early in the second half, when an effort from Demba Ba was blocked by 'keeper Asmir Begovic. Papiss Cisse was following up though and managed to steer home the rebound from close range via a post.

Cisse's second league strike of the season was the first goal City had conceded at home in almost eight hours and both he and Ba then saw further efforts saved when running into the box from the right, plus a penalty shout ignored by referee Howard Webb after a handball by Ryan Shawcross.

United looked to press home their advantage against a lacklustre home side who lost Peter Crouch to injury in the first half, when Fabricio Coloccini inadvertently knocked three of his teeth out (!). 

However, the belated but inevitable City response was spearheaded by substitute duo Kenwyne Jones and Cameron Jerome. Michael Owen wasn't fit enough to make the bench, having devoted most of the last to talking nonsense on the telly and growing a 'tache that suggests a future career in a Village People tribute band.

Despite coming under ever-increasing pressure though, Tim Krul had only made one noteworthy stop before he picked the ball out of his net with nine minutes to play, Jonas Gutierrez failing to prevent Jerome dispatching a right wing cross for Jon Walters to head home.