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Stoke City 3-0 Blackburn: Potters too strong for 10-man Rovers
Higginbotham, Sidibe and Etherington overwhelm Big Sam's side...
6 Feb 2010 16:55:00
By Steven Saunders
Stoke City v Blackburn: Line-ups & stats
Premier League results/standings
Stoke City took the opportunity to leapfrog above Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League table with a surprisingly one-sided victory at the Britannia Stadium.
The hosts were ahead as early as the eighth minute through Danny Higginbotham's first goal in 18 months, then Mamady Sidibe added a second on the stroke of half-time. Christopher Samba saw red early in the second half for a second bookable offence, and Matthew Etherington rounded off the rout with a nicely worked goal on 63 minutes.
Stoke took the lead with the game's first real shot in anger. An eighth-minute Liam Lawrence corner was only partially cleared by Steven Nzonzi, and as the ball looped towards the edge of the area, Higginbotham shaped himself for a sublime first time volley with his left foot that sliced its way through a sea of bodies and into the Blackburn net.
Etherington had the next chance with a free kick 30 yards from goal, but his shot was high and wide of Paul Robinson's goal.
Blackburn should have been level on 20 minutes. Morten Gamst Pedersen swung over a cross from the left corner of the area which picked out Franco Di Santo but the striker contrived to head over Thomas Sorensen's goal from six yards out.
It was a rugged encounter, and Andy Wilkinson brought the home support to their feet when he bravely stuck his head in the way as Nikola Kalinic attempted to hook the ball goalward. Wilkinson's shaven head gushed blood, and he required swift treatment at the side of the pitch.
Stoke extended their lead on the stroke of half time. A long throw from Rory Delap (surprise, surprise) found its way to Etherington and his cross allowed Sidibe to tap in at the far post.
The home side continued to control the flow of play at the start of the second half. A barrage of Delap throw-ins failed to lead to anything, but an Etherington corner was more productive as he picked out Ryan Shawcross who brought a wonderful left-hand save from Robinson.
Within moments though, Blackburn were down to 10 men. Christopher Samba was outfoxed by Ricardo Fuller, and having already been booked, he knew a second would follow as soon as he pulled back the tenacious Stoke striker.
Blackburn's most likely avenue back into the game was from set-pieces, but first Pedersen and then Brett Emerton were wasteful with free kicks from promising positions around the hour mark. At the other end, Robinson was again forced into spectacular action to block Fuller's close-range header from yet another corner.
A third goal would not flatter Stoke, and it duly arrived on 63 minutes when Lawrence and Etherington linked up neatly before the latter stepped inside Nzonzi's weak challenge and curled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner of the net.
With the game won, Stoke took the foot of the gas in the final quarter but still came closest to adding to the scoresheet with Higginbotham's header from a corner blocked on the line by Michel Salgado. It was as serene an afternoon for Tony Pulis as any of the 300 games during which he has presided over Stoke.
Premier League results/standings
Stoke City took the opportunity to leapfrog above Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League table with a surprisingly one-sided victory at the Britannia Stadium.
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The hosts were ahead as early as the eighth minute through Danny Higginbotham's first goal in 18 months, then Mamady Sidibe added a second on the stroke of half-time. Christopher Samba saw red early in the second half for a second bookable offence, and Matthew Etherington rounded off the rout with a nicely worked goal on 63 minutes.
Stoke took the lead with the game's first real shot in anger. An eighth-minute Liam Lawrence corner was only partially cleared by Steven Nzonzi, and as the ball looped towards the edge of the area, Higginbotham shaped himself for a sublime first time volley with his left foot that sliced its way through a sea of bodies and into the Blackburn net.
Etherington had the next chance with a free kick 30 yards from goal, but his shot was high and wide of Paul Robinson's goal.
Blackburn should have been level on 20 minutes. Morten Gamst Pedersen swung over a cross from the left corner of the area which picked out Franco Di Santo but the striker contrived to head over Thomas Sorensen's goal from six yards out.
It was a rugged encounter, and Andy Wilkinson brought the home support to their feet when he bravely stuck his head in the way as Nikola Kalinic attempted to hook the ball goalward. Wilkinson's shaven head gushed blood, and he required swift treatment at the side of the pitch.
Stoke extended their lead on the stroke of half time. A long throw from Rory Delap (surprise, surprise) found its way to Etherington and his cross allowed Sidibe to tap in at the far post.
The home side continued to control the flow of play at the start of the second half. A barrage of Delap throw-ins failed to lead to anything, but an Etherington corner was more productive as he picked out Ryan Shawcross who brought a wonderful left-hand save from Robinson.
Within moments though, Blackburn were down to 10 men. Christopher Samba was outfoxed by Ricardo Fuller, and having already been booked, he knew a second would follow as soon as he pulled back the tenacious Stoke striker.
Blackburn's most likely avenue back into the game was from set-pieces, but first Pedersen and then Brett Emerton were wasteful with free kicks from promising positions around the hour mark. At the other end, Robinson was again forced into spectacular action to block Fuller's close-range header from yet another corner.
A third goal would not flatter Stoke, and it duly arrived on 63 minutes when Lawrence and Etherington linked up neatly before the latter stepped inside Nzonzi's weak challenge and curled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner of the net.
With the game won, Stoke took the foot of the gas in the final quarter but still came closest to adding to the scoresheet with Higginbotham's header from a corner blocked on the line by Michel Salgado. It was as serene an afternoon for Tony Pulis as any of the 300 games during which he has presided over Stoke.
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