Jack Butland posted a 90-minute audition to be Joe Hart’s England understudy in next summer’s European Championship finals with a string of saves to earn Stoke City a point.
The visiting team took an early lead through Mame Biram Diouf but once Russell Martin, a scorer in last week’s 3-1 win away to Sunderland, levelled it was a question of how many more goals the home side would get.
Thanks to Butland, the England Under-21 star who was capped once for the senior side in 2012 and is now a regular squad member, the answer was none.
Stoke handed a debut to Xherdan Shaqiri, with the £12 million recruit from Inter Milan unable to feature in last week’s 2-2 draw away to Tottenham Hotspur because of a suspension held over from last season.
Shaqiri replaced Jonathan Walters, the forward whom Norwich City had tried to buy on the eve of the match. Stoke rejected a £1.5 million offer for the Ireland player, whose previous incarnation as an Ipswich Town player meant he would not have been universally welcomed by Norwich fans anyway.
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Walters was not even on the bench, which was a shame because he had livened up proceedings the last time the two sides met, in March 2014, when he scored his side’s goal in a 1-1 draw and was sent off four minutes later.
Stoke survived an early appeal for a penalty when Wes Hoolahan’s delivery from the left appeared to strike Geoff Cameron on an arm but a handball at the other end, by Robbie Brady, led to an 11th-minute opener for the away side.
Shaqiri claimed the assist with a whipped free-kick delivery to the back post where Diouf, having lost Alex Tettey, his marker, stooped to nod past John Ruddy in the home goal.
Home supporters’ frustration at the score spilled into boos for a drinks break because of the heat but all was forgotten when Martin rammed an equaliser through Butland’s legs in the 28th minute.
Butland had denied the defender with a reflex stop when Martin diverted a flick-on towards goal. Stoke had plenty of attempts at clearing their lines but the ball kept coming back and eventually Martin, set up by Nathan Redmond, swivelled to score.
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An odd incident a couple of minutes later saw Diouf put the ball in the Norwich net once more after some dithering at the back by Tettey allowed Ibrahim Afellay to poke the ball forwards. But the forward was miles offside and no liberal interpretation of the new offside law was going to allow that to stand.
Brady came close with a free-kick and then did well at the back to stop a swift Stoke counter-attack as the first half ended all square.
The second began with Redmond poking across goal and wide and Sebastien Bassong booked for giving Marco van Ginkel’s shorts a thorough twanging after losing possession.
A great chance came Cameron Jerome’s way when Jonny Howson put him through but the former Stoke man panicked as Butland came to meet him and he poked tamely wide.
Hoolahan then headed wide from Brady’s delivery before Graham Dorrans, given a run at goal by a lucky bounce, saw his low drive tipped on to a post by Butland.
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At least one of those chances should have been converted and Butland came to Stoke’s rescue again with a fine save to deny Redmond, who had wriggled past Diouf to gain a sight of both posts.
Another drinks break signalled the final 20 minutes and once again Butland dived to deny Dorrans at the expense of a corner. That fell to Jerome via Bassong’s back but once again Butland was equal to the striker’s acrobatic effort.
Joselu, the substitute, almost won it for the visitors late on but fired over on the turn and it was the same story at the other end when another substitute, Bradley Johnson, volleyed Brady’s free-kick over.