Stoke City were beaten 2-1 by Millwall on Saturday, with Potters manager Michael O'Neill left to lament two decisions that went against his side. 

It was a frustrating day for Stoke as they squandered a lead to lose a game for the second time in three games. That frustration was made worse as O'Neill feels his side should have had two penalties at The Den.

Sam Surridge was brought down by Billy Mitchell in the early stages of the game before Tyrese Campbell was upended by Danny McNamara late on, at the same time supporters were appealing for a handball against Scott Malone.

Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel, O'Neill said: “The first one’s a penalty on Sam Surridge. It’s a clear penalty.

“The handball? It does hit the arm but I’m not sure what the player can or can’t do in that situation although it wasn’t fired at him from that close range.

“For Tyrese, there’s no attempt to play the ball there. The young kid McNamara has to defend the back post and I think Tye had a chance to get to the cross but the referee saw it as he did.”

O'Neill did also admit his side didn't do enough in the game to deserve anything from the match, but was nevertheless evidently incredibly frustrated by the referee's lack of action on at least one of those incidents.

The defeat now means Stoke dropped to 9th, level on points with seven other teams, including Luton in 5th place.

The Verdict

O'Neill is right to be aggrieved at not getting at least one of those decisions.

For three incidents to go against you is incredibly unlucky but Stoke in this situation should not have been relying on decisions to get their way.

To drop more points from leading positions needs addressing and it will ensure these incidents won't have as much influence on a game.

If they don't solve that issue, they may struggle to maintain their push for the play-offs across the whole of the rest of the season, which would be frustrating given the quality they have.