O'NEILL'S PLAN OUT-FOXED BY JOLLY RODGERS

Justin strike sees Potters’ wheels come off

- Jacob Alexander

MICHAEL O’Neill admitted his plan not to give Premier League Leicester an early lift got off to a bad start as Stoke were thrashed.

The Foxes took the lead via a superb James Justin effort, with Marc Albrighton, Ayoze Perez and Harvey Barnes adding gloss to the scoreline.

And Potters boss O’Neill admitted his game-plan went out of the window.

“The key was not to go behind in the game,” he said.

“I thought the first 20, 25 minutes we did quite well in the game, we had a good chance that we didn’t take, and then obviously there was a great individual goal that we go behind to.

“Second half we started quite well again, but unfortunately the second goal kills us really, and then we had to try to change the shape a little bit and we were always going to be a little bit more vulnerable to their quality.”

O’Neill also confirmed that Stoke are hoping to sign Charlton midfielder Alfie Doughty.

“We have made a bid for Doughty,” he said.