Lambert: Who's to say Jese would have scored?

Charlie Adam takes Stoke's last minute penalty. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)Charlie Adam takes Stoke's last minute penalty. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Charlie Adam takes Stoke's last minute penalty. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Stoke boss Paul Lambert refused to blame Charlie Adam after his late penalty was saved in their 1-1 draw with Brighton yesterday.

In a dramatic finish, the Potters were awarded a last minute penalty and Adam grabbed the ball to take the spot-kick but Jese, who had been fouled by Dale Stephens, wanted to take it himself and had to be pulled away from trying to get the ball off Adam by team-mates.

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Adam's spot-kick was then saved by Albion keeper Mathew Ryan and Lambert said: "I would be more concerned if everybody shied away from a penalty and nobody wanted to take it; that's when the problems arise. They wanted to take it, they wanted to win the game which is normal.

"Who's to say that Jese would have scored? Nobody knows, that's with hindsight, but Charlie felt confident enough to hit it. I'll never blame anybody, it's not a blame culture. We win as a team and we lose as a team.

"The way I view a penalty is that you could be the most talented footballer on earth and if you don't want that penalty you won't hit it.

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"Whoever's confident can go up and hit the penalty, they feel confident and as I say Charlie Adam scored against Coventry and he's got a great left foot. If you ask Charlie to put a ball anywhere he'll put it there and it's just that given moment it's obvious that the goalkeeper's made a save."