Stoke boss Steven Schumacher felt his side got what they deserved as they recovered from 2-0 down to get a point against West Brom.
Second-half goals from Million Manhoef and Andre Vidigal, a rebound after his penalty was saved, secured the battling Potters a vital point in their survival bid at the bet365 Stadium.
The visitors had led through goals from Celtic loanee Mikey Johnston and Jed Wallace, but they had to settle for a point in the play-off race.
Schumacher said: “I thought we played really well. On the balance of the game we definitely deserved something.
“I thought we were the better team. The only negative from the performance was we didn’t take the chances that we created in the big moments, especially to go ahead in the game.
“West Brom were more clinical than us with their two chances but again we’ve shown plenty of character, we didn’t lose our composure or our faith. We kept going for it and got our rewards in the end.
“I told the boys I felt we were the better team and I asked them if they sensed that and they said they did.
“I told them to stick to the plan then because they agreed. And we wanted to keep playing the same tempo and keep going forward.
“We knew if we kept running forward it would tire West Brom out and with our energy at the end of the game we might get something out of it and that’s what happened.
“They got their second with their first attack in the second half. It was almost a smash and grab from an away team.
“Our players didn’t deviate from what we wanted to do and we got what we deserved in the end.”
The Baggies stretched their unbeaten run to nine but it is now three draws in a row, with seventh-placed Coventry just six points behind in the play-off race.
Boss Carlos Corberan praised his side’s clinical nature but was left wanting more after dropping two points from a commanding position.
He said: “They had more chances than us. We should have managed the game better. We were more accurate with our chances.
“Unfortunately, in attack we couldn’t dominate the game more. They started to create more problems as the game went on. That made them think they could achieve something.
“We tried until the end to go for three points and unfortunately we couldn’t score with two very good cutbacks Tom Fellows put in at the end.
“We missed the finishing in front of the goal at the end.
“We didn’t create enough in attack. We didn’t show enough personality in the first minutes of the game. The weather conditions affected us more than we expected.
“We need to compete better than we did early. The level we showed wasn’t enough to win three points.
“As a coach you want to create more chances because the more you create, the more chance you have to win the game.”
Kimmich ready to open Bayern Munich talks amid Barcelona speculation
Joshua Kimmich is ready to open talks with Bayern Munich over his future at the club amid speculation linking him with Barcelona.
The Germany international has spent nine years at the Allianz Arena, but he is due to become a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Barca have been repeatedly linked with Kimmich in recent transfer windows and are said to retain an interest ahead of next season.
Speaking to Spanish outlet AS, the midfielder talked up Barca - as well as fierce rivals Real Madrid - but fell short of saying he is open to a move.
"I want to talk to Bayern. When I do that, I won't go out and talk to the press about it," he said.
"I'm not thinking about this. I will speak to Bayern first. But of course, Barcelona and Real Madrid are amazing clubs with an amazing history."
Kimmich has played 37 times in all competitions this season for Bayern, whose last remaining hope of silverware is in the Champions League.
Bayern will face Real Madrid over two legs for a place in the final, with the first match in that double-header taking place in Bavaria on Tuesday.
Thomas Tuchel will depart the dethroned Bundesliga champions at the end of the season, with Ralf Rangnick the favourite to succeed him.
The managerial uncertainty is not helping with regards to the Kimmich rumours, but he insists that will not be a deciding factor on his future.
"It's not the most important thing right now," he said. "I know that when you sign a contract you don't sign it with the coach.
"You sign it with the club. For me, the most important thing is the club, not just the coach.
"But it's also important to know what the coach thinks about you and the team. Other people in the club can worry about choosing the coach."
Desailly calls on LaLiga to do more to protect Vinicius Junior
Marcel Desailly has called on LaLiga to do more to protect Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and other players who have been targeted by racist abuse.
Vinicius broke down at a press conference earlier this month as he opened up about the abuse he has received from the stands while representing Madrid.
The Brazil international is not alone in that regard, with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni another example, and World Cup winner Desailly wants more to be done.
"Vinicius has spoken out, but it's not about him - it's about LaLiga and the people who can take action," he told Stats Perform.
"We have the power to change things, but we are not doing enough. Samuel Eto'o had the same issue before.
"Vinicius is one of those who is suffering because the administrative people in charge are not willing to hit harder than they are."
Vinicius has been a key player for LaLiga champions-elect Madrid once again this season with 13 goals and five assists in 23 outings.
Desailly regards Vinicius, who scored the winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final, as one of the finest players of his generation.
"He's a very ambitious player," Desailly said. "I think he's improved a lot because he is now clinical in assisting and finishing.
"When you look at someone like Ousmane Dembele, his stats are not as good.
"Then you look at Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka, another who has improved - there is potential for each of those to get close to Vinicius."
Ancelotti: Real Madrid are never 'undervalued' in the Champions League
Real Madrid always feel respected by every team in the Champions League, so says coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Madrid overcame holders Manchester City on penalties in the quarter-finals to tee up a last-four clash with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
City dominated much of the second leg in Manchester, yet after a 4-4 draw on aggregate, it was Ancelotti's team who got over the line.
Fourteen-time European champions Madrid, who allowed Karim Benzema to leave for Saudi Arabia at the end of last season, were not fancied to get past City, but Ancelotti does not think his team have been undervalued in this year's competition.
"Madrid is never undervalued in this competition, because everyone knows what we can do," he said.
"We feel respect from everyone."
City's Bernardo Silva called Madrid a "strange" team, a comment that left Ancelotti nonplussed.
"I don't know. We are not strange," he added.
"I think the weight of the shirt weighs in this competition, like history, but I have nothing to answer Bernardo Silva with.
"He is a fantastic player. Last year [City] had a good time and this year we had a good time. That's football."
When it was put to him that Madrid go into this tie as favourites, Ancelotti replied: "It does not worry me. We have confidence to stand up to a team that has not had a great Bundesliga season, but has knocked out Arsenal.
"It comes from eliminating a very strong team in Europe. In the Champions League, history counts a lot and that works in our favour."
Ancelotti has faced Thomas Tuchel nine times in his career, winning three of those games, losing four and drawing twice, and the Italian anticipates another stern test.
He said: "In terms of quality, they are strong in transition, they can play in different ways and are very dangerous. We are two who do not have a very clear identity. We can both play in different ways."
Tuesday's first leg also marks a return to Munich for Ancelotti, who coached Bayern between 2016 and 2017.
"It is very beautiful, a fantastic city, although unfortunately German has never entered my head," Ancelotti said.
"My son did, he learned very well. Munich is a spectacular city to live in."
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