Stoke overcame their difficulties in the Championship with a convincing 3-0 win at Hartlepool to advance to the FA Cup fourth round.
At the interval, Alex Neil's team had a two-goal lead, making it impossible for Pools, who were trying to avoid League Two relegation, to come back. Euan Murray, a defender for Hartlepool, scored an own goal in the 16th minute, and two minutes before halftime, predatory striker Jacob Brown gave Stoke the lead.
Even though Hartlepool had its moments, especially in the first half, Neil's team never really seemed like throwing away that advantage, and two minutes after the break, Rollin Menayese also scored on his own goal.
Although the Stoke manager made five changes from the team that lost to Preston in the most recent league match, this was still a good lineup, and he was rewarded.
Keith Curle, Neil's opponent, selected his strongest lineup in an effort to lead Hartlepool into the fourth round for the second consecutive year given their recent improvements in league play. However, Hartlepool's shaky defensive debut ended up costing them.
Wing-back Reghan Tumilty's hesitation had already given Josh Laurent, a former midfielder for Pools, an early opportunity. Ben Killip, the goalkeeper, stopped the attempt from scoring, but the home team fell behind shortly after.
Tottenham wingback Murray's attempt to clear the ball after Josh Tymon's low shot into the six-yard box was hacked high into his own net.
The feedback from Hartlepool was favorable. In fact, when Jack Hamilton's errant header from Mark Shelton's cross dropped wide from eight yards, he should have equalized within a few minutes. Josh Umerah, the top scorer for Hartlepool, also had a shot go wide from a distance and narrowly missed converting from close range in a packed area.
However, Stoke came out of the break stronger and earned their rewards. Brown was onside despite accusations of a flag, so Tymon's through pass was ideal for him to rush on to, round Killip, and put in from a narrow angle.
His fourth Stoke goal of the year nearly came right after as Jordan Thompson missed the net from 22 yards with a drive. Stoke quickly increased the lead. Menayese converted Harrison Clarke's cross inside the six-yard box to score the game's second own goal after Liam Delap had pushed Killip into a low save.
After that, Laurent missed with a shot, and substitute Dwight Gayle, who had been waiting a long time for a Stoke goal, threatened to break it.
The former Newcastle player, who moved in the summer and hasn't scored since December 2020, performed an acrobatic volley wide before Killip dove low to stop another attempt.
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