Here are my player ratings - with reasons.
Doyle - 4
Caddis - 7
Burn - 8
Robbo - 7
Hancox - 8
Adeyemi - 8
Reilly - 7
Elliott - 4
Novak - 9 *MOTM*
Ferguson - 6
Zigic - 5
Lovenkrands - 8
Gray - 7
Lee - 7
Doyle - Colin showed why he is the second choice keeper. I thought he could quite easily have saved Assaidi's goal. Though it was a terrific strike, Doyle got a solid hand to it and the shot was nowhere near the corner, so he quite easily could have tipped it over. The second was even worse, as he was caught flat-footed from a weak header by Peter Crouch. His distribution was poor, with numerous kicks sliced away from their target. As it got into extra time, Doyle wasn't finished. Kenwyne Jones was slipped through, but Doyle rushed out and dived at his feet. Jones' mind was made up for him, as he rounded Doyle and slotted into an empty net. Usually Doyle's saving grace is his penalty saving, but this was not evident as he dived way too early for the penalties, essentially making it twice as easy for the penalty takers. An incredibly poor performance from a normally reliable keeper.
Caddis - The shock summer signing from Swindon had a solid game at right back. Pinned back by the lively Assaidi for a lot of the game, Caddis did well to try and nullify the threat. It was clear however that Assaidi was getting the better of him, but that was to be expected. Caddis however didn't give up, and, in the second half especially when Novak played in front of him, he was exceptional. He gave us some forward momentum and drive dribbling forward from right back. He also kept the tricky winger quiet in the second half, with the help of Lee Novak.
Burn - Tuesday night's game was probably the only game that Burn will play in his career that he is the third tallest player on the pitch. Burn struggled with the threat of the Stoke attackers, even Crouch. Crouch peeled off him too easily for his goal and his acrobatic volley that crashed off the underside of the bar, but Burn eventually learnt to cope with the threat. It was in the other half of the pitch that Burn shone, surprisingly enough. He was an absolute warrior in the opposition area, causing havoc with his strength and height. It was refreshing to see a loanee showing so much fight for the cause and a good return to form for the lanky centre half.
Robbo - A typical Robinson performance. He commanded the defence and helped the young players to settle in to the game. He had obvious trouble with Crouch's height, but there weren't occasions where he got totally dominated by the giant centre-forward. Even though we conceded four goals, it's difficult to criticise the defence as they did all they could against Premier League and in most cases international footballers. Robbo epitomised the Blues fight. He even got an assist, hooking Lee's free-kick into the path of Lovenkrands.
Hancox - It's clear to see that Hancox would do anything for Blues. The guy is Blues through and through and gave everything for the cause last night. He's by no means a bad player either, capable of some terrific crosses and solid defensively. He dealt well with ex-Blue Jermaine Pennant and offered an option going forward. He didn't get forward maybe as much as he would have liked but that's more to do with the opposition and the situation. He did unfortunately fire his powerful penalty off and over the bar and I hope this doesn't dent his confidence. With Lingard injured I'd like to see him start at left-back and Murphy pushed forwards to left wing.
Adeyemi - A strong performance from Adeyemi who is growing into a fantastic midfielder at this level and an important player for Blues. Constant pressurising of the Stoke midfield coupled with drive and energy going forward characterised Adeyemi's performance, which was topped off with a lovely goal. He started the move in his own corner, holding off two players before laying it off. 4 passes later, Adeyemi was through on goal, slotting the ball past Sorensen with all the panache of an international striker. Another solid performance from the young midfielder on his return from illness.
Reilly - Reilly has showed a remarkable improvement since his surprise inclusion in a Championship game last season. He has become an important figure in the heart of the Blues' midfield, partially as our squad has got weaker but also because Reilly has improved significantly. Mobile, strong in the challenge with a great range of passing, he has real potential and showed some flashes last night. He started slowly but grew into the game, and despite only having 10 men, he worked tirelessly with Adeyemi to keep a foothold in the game.
Elliott - Wade Elliott let his team down last night. Not just in his sub-par performance in the first half, but his stupidity in getting sent off. He isn't a winger but was played there through necessity, but he was fairly poor. Getting sent off was an act of idiocy, leaving us with ten men when we were in a decent position in the game, which could quite easily have lost us the game. Disappointing from a player with a lot of experience.
Novak - I have been a critic of Novak's but he was brilliant on Tuesday. He showed clever movement, tireless working and nice touches, despite playing in a fairly unfamiliar role of the striker and then out wide. He was everywhere, helping out at right-back at times but creating chances also, most notably for Adeyemi's goal. Maybe this is Novak's role in the team - not as a focal point but as part of the build-up. I am really hoping that he can do well at Blues and it looks like that goal against Derby has given him a boost in confidence.
Ferguson - Quiet is the word which best describes Ferguson's performance. He struggled to impose himself on the game going forward but did do a good job helping Hancox. He didn't have a poor game, far from it, and he was clearly hindered by us having 10 men, as he was forced to play deeper, but overall he did a decent job for Blues last night.
Zigic - Zigic had one of 'those' games. He didn't win a lot in the air and struggled to get into the game. He was starved of service but his movement and pressuring were non-existent. Whilst I thought that Zigic would have been more useful when chasing the game, it proved that Lovenkrands was more useful and Burn did more upfront than Zigic did, which he should be ashamed of.
Lovenkrands - I was upset at the start of the game to see him on the bench, especially instead of Green, but I was clearly wrong. Two goals, albeit two tap-ins, made it a good night for him and took the game into extra time. He ran the channels very well when he came on but didn't really create as much as he would have liked, but he did his job turning in the two chances he got.
Gray - An impressive performance from the winger, showing why he is highly rated by the staff at the club. Direct, quick and tricky, he gave Marc Wilson a torrid time and created the third goal by cutting in and firing a dipping shot towards Sorensen's near post that he struggled to deal with. With some more game time he could become a real asset on the wing for Blues, bringing with him a sense of optimism and excitement that came with Nathan Redmond as well.
Lee - Olly Lee has gone from Barnet to scoring against Premier League opposition in a year. He showed some glimpses of a real footballer and took his goal very well. He was unfairly lambasted after the Leeds game, having been thrown in at the deep end, but he did show why Clark spotted him and picked him up. A good performance that hopefully he can build on.
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