RORY DELAP’S long throw-in - the equivalent of a battering ram - forced a huge hole in the Aston Villa defence in the fourth minute of stoppage time and substitute Mamady Sidibe got his head on the end of it to secure a fairytale victory for Stoke. “Sometimes we get labelled one-dimensional but I wouldn’t swap it for anything,” said Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager. “I don’t think they enjoyed defending against it and we played some good stuff through them too. It’s a good day for the club.”

They had waited 23 years for this moment in the Potteries, and the Stoke supporters embraced their first game in the Premier League with an incredible passion, the capacity crowd generating a noise that must have reverberated throughout much of the Midlands.

Martin O’Neill, the Aston Villa manager, had expressed concern about his team being the first to enter this cauldron this season and his worst fears were realised in a first half Stoke dominated physically and territorially. Liam Lawrence was industrious on the right side of midfield, as was striker Dave Kitson and up front Ricardo Fuller was dangerous throughout. A prodigious work ethic underpinned the strength and directness of the Stoke attack and Villa were bullied out of it. Villa’s vulnerability at the back was exploited by Delap’s long throws and by the home side’s hunger for the battle, which Villa conspicuously failed to match, much to O’Neill’s annoyance.

While Stoke’s approach was not pretty, it was pretty effective. Fuller’s header in the opening minute from Delap’s long throw - albeit wide - was an ominous sign for Villa of the challenge they faced. Another long throw by Delap was grabbed by Brad Friedel, the Villa goalkeeper, before Fuller and Lawrence combined on the right but Lawrence’s cross was too strong for Kitson to connect at the back post.

Denied time on the ball, Villa were unable to play their passing game and they struggled to adapt to the inhospitable terrain. Referee Mark Halsey waved away Villa’s penalty claims when Gabriel Agbonlahor was pushed by Seyi Olofinjana, but he awarded a penalty at the other end. Fuller picked up the ball near the corner flag and advanced into the box. Martin Laursen managed to dispossess him but he lost the ball to Delap. Nicky Shorey missed his tackle and Laursen clipped Delap’s heels. Lawrence placed the penalty past Friedel.

Stoke’s lead was fully deserved. Fuller might have added a second goal before the interval after a mix-up between Laursen and Friedel. In a rare Villa attack Ashley Young threaded the ball through to John Carew, who turned on the edge of the area and shot narrowly wide before Fuller, having outjumped Curtis Davies, headed wide from another Delap throw-in.

Inevitably, Stoke’s energy levels fell in the second half but their resilience never waned even when Villa began to demonstrate a hint of their class in the second half. Their reward came when Carew accelerated into the penalty area and slipped the ball to Young. The winger’s cheeky backheel fell perfectly for Carew, who steered his shot past the Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen .

But the Premier League new boys did not fold. Yet another long throw by Delap had to be punched away by Friedel and substitute Salif Diao shot over. Any mistake was likely to be punished in the frenetic finale and Villa paid the price twice. Gareth Barry was punished for a woefully slack pass that Delap intercepted and fed to Olofinjana, who played it on to Lawrence. His pass forward prompted Fuller to turn brilliantly and the striker’s finish was excellent into the left corner.

Villa equalised for a second time when a free kick by Young into the box was flicked by Carew into the path of Laursen, who stabbed his shot in from close range. Villa were undone again by Delap’s long throw and Sidibe’s finish and O’Neill has plenty to ponder about his defence especially. “It was just one more throw-in to defend and we had dealt with that threat really well,” he said. “It’s part of the game and we’re very disappointed.”

Star man:Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City)

STOKE CITY:Sorensen 6, Griffin 7, Cort 7, Abdoulaye Faye 7, Dickinson 6, Lawrence 7, Olofinjana 7, Delap 7, Amdy Faye 6 (Diao 72min), Kitson 6 (Sidibe 76min), Fuller 8 (Cresswell 87min)

ASTON VILLA:Friedel 5, L Young 6, Laursen 6, Davies 6, Shorey 6 (Routledge 73min), Petrov 6, Reo-Coker 6, Barry 5, A Young 7, Carew 6, Agbonlahor 6

Referee:M Halsey Attendance:27,500