Palace's Easter weekend ended with a narrow defeat at the Britannia Stadium, as play-off chasing Stoke City edged out the Eagles by the odd goal in three in an at times pulsating game.

On a wet and windy afternoon in the Potteries, whilst the rest of the country was seemingly basking in sunshine, Palace could easily have come away with a hard-earned result having more than played their part in an open game.

It wasn't to be though and despite playing the last 20 minutes with an out-and-out attacking formation, Stoke managed to withstand and hold on to their victory whilst also missing numerous chances themselves, particularly in the second half.

Stoke tested the water early on in the game and Gabor Kiraly was called into action in only the third minute, as he saved Liam Lawrence's shot after the the winger had cut inside from the right.

Mark Hudson then had to make a fantastic tackle in the area to deny Jon Parkin a shot, with the big striker played through by Carl Hoefkens.

At the other end, Clinton Morrison forced Steve Simonsen into a smart save with a 20 yard shot in the 13th minute after Stoke had gifted possession to Mark Kennedy in midfield.

Tom Soares was then presented with a half chance in the area when Morrison flicked the ball on for him, but he was a little too wide to shoot first time and by the time Carl Dickinson had recovered, he was able to force him further away from goal and ultimately out of danger's way.

Both teams were looking equally likely to open the scoring at this stage and Kiraly had to be alert again soon after when he did well to save Ricardo Fuller's low shot at goal.

Kiraly was helpless in the 20th minute though, as Parkin expertly controlled the ball in the area before swivelling and firing a shot into the bottom corner to hand the Potters a crucial lead.

Palace could have hit back instantly though, as Leon Cort met Kennedy's corner just six yards out and guided a header towards goal and past Simonsen, only for Danny Higginbotham to clear it off the line.

However, just six minutes after their opener Stoke added a second goal when Fuller picked up the ball on the left and after advancing into the box, struck an angled shot past Kiraly which just managed to beat Hudson on the goal line and creep into the net.

Palace hit back immediately though and within two minutes of the re-start had reduced the deficit, with Cort again connecting with Kennedy's corner and guiding the ball goalwards. It took a slight deflection on its way, with Gabriel Zakuani looking the unfortunate party of being credited with the own goal.

Stoke could have added to their tally and looked particularly dangerous from set-pieces, coming close on two occasions in the box.

It really should have been 3-1 at the break though, as Lee Hendrie was provided with a free shot inside the area and it took a fine save from Kiraly to deny him and give Palace hope for the second half.

The second half began in the same fashion as the first, with both teams having early opportunities, as Fuller took advantage of Hudson's slip only to see his eventual shot blocked before Morrison's looping back-header went narrowly over the bar from Gary Borrowdale's chip into the area.

Palace came closest though and in the 63rd minute, Shefki Kuqi's cross was met at the far post by Paul Ifill only for Simonsen to make a great save and palm the ball out. It landed nicely for Carl Fletcher just inside a crowded box, but his shot went narrowly over the bar.

Soares then tried his luck from distance, but again Simonsen was well positioned to make another good save.

Lawrence spurned a great chance to make it 3-1 to the hosts when Fuller's shot looked to be going in, only for the former Sunderland man to nudge it over the bar from two yards out.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, Palace reverted to a 4-3-3 formation in a bid to get themselves back in the game with substitutes Lewis Grabban and James Scowcroft joining Kuqi up front and Morrison dropping into a deeper role in midfield.

Despite growing tension amongst the home supporters and five minutes of added time though, the Potters managed to hold on and keep the three points to boost their promotion hopes.

Stoke: Simonsen, Zakuani, Fortune, Higginbotham (c), Dickinson, Hoefkens, Eustace, Hendrie (Martin, 81) Lawrence, Parkin, Fuller (Pericard, 88) Subs not used: Wilkinson, Hoult, Paterson.

Palace: Kiraly, Lawrence, Hudson, Cort, Borrowdale, Ifill (Grabban, 67) Kennedy (Scowcroft, 78) Fletcher (c), Soares (Martin, 67) Morrison, Kuqi. Subs not used: Ward, Speroni.

Bookings: Matt Lawrence (65 minutes), John Eustace (70 minutes)

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