Stoke City vs Blackburn Rovers. Sky Bet Championship.
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Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday | Goals from Scott Wharton, Andrew Moran and Sammie Szmodics win it.
Saturday 25 November 2023 18:50, UK
Blackburn secured a fourth successive away league victory with a 3-0 drubbing of Stoke.
Scott Wharton's fourth-minute header - his first Championship strike since October 2022 - handed Rovers an early lead which they never relinquished.
Brighton loanee Andrew Moran added a goal to his earlier assist to spark a late flurry of action.
And the league's leading marksman Sammie Szmodics rounded off a comprehensive win in stoppage time with his 11th goal of the campaign.
It was a fifth victory in seven league games for Jon Dahl Tomasson's side while the Potters, who had not conceded in over seven hours of football before the tie, endured a miserable afternoon as their five-match unbeaten run was ended.
Despite their impressive recent defensive record, the hosts could have fallen behind with barely a minute on the stopwatch. Szmodics sprung the offside trap and lifted an effort over Jack Bonham only for it to drop wide of the target.
The early warning sign was not heeded by Stoke, whose hope for a fifth consecutive clean sheet was ended a matter of moments later. A Moran corner was met by the towering Wharton, with his precise header off the woodwork giving Bonham no chance.
A frantic start to the fixture ensued with the Potters twice going close to producing an immediate response.
Daniel Johnson's low drilled strike was flipped wide by keeper Leopold Wahlstedt before Enda Stevens' cross was nearly converted by both Dwight Gayle and Luke McNally.
And Stoke continued in their pursuit of a leveller with South Korean youngster Bae Jun-ho trying his luck with a header and an effort from outside the box.
But again, the hosts looked uncharacteristically fragile defensively with Szmodics racing in on goal before prodding narrowly wide.
The in-form forward had another opportunity to double Blackburn's advantage shortly before the interval, but his mazy run was halted by Bonham.
Alex Neil's half-time instructions nearly prompted an instant reply after the restart, but an unmarked Wouter Burger headed over the target.
The introduction of Ryan Mmaee, Tyrese Campbell and Wesley tried to inspire a clinical edge, but still the Potters failed to craft a clear sight at goal.
Rovers capitalised with Bonham parrying Jake Garrett's harmless effort directly into Moran's path, with the 20-year-old converting on the rebound.
And Blackburn were not finished there as Szmodics raced through on goal, rounded Bonham and converted to add the cherry on top of a fine display.
It brings up four straight away wins in the second tier for the visitors for the first time since 2000-01 - a year in which they won promotion to the Premier League.
Stoke's Alex Neil:
"I don't think the game was a 3-0 game. For the first 15 minutes, they caused us an issue but after we fixed it, there wasn't a problem from that point.
"The first goal is so disappointing because they've only scored one goal from a corner this season.
"After 15 minutes, I thought we started to take control of the game but the biggest difference was that they put the ball in the net and we didn't.
"And the third goal makes the scoreline look much worse than what it actually was."
Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson:
"It was a brilliant performance and a brilliant result. We all know how good we can play football, but our discipline and defending were extremely good and very pleasing.
"We frustrated Stoke a lot; the defending, attitude and spirit were all great and we showed a high level of discipline for 90 minutes.
"They were not able to take a chance and when they came into the final third, the stop sign was there and we defended like warriors.
"We're taking our chances too; if you looked at all our performances this season, we could have won every game.
"We're the team in the league who create the most chances and today we took our chances really well.
"We needed that break to recharge their heads and bodies, and you can hear how happy our fans are in the end and that says everything.
