O’NEILL INSPIRES REBORN POTTERS
MICHAEL O’Neill launched his Stoke reign in perfect style with a stunning 4-2 victory at Barnsley.
O’Neill only took charge the day before and could hardly have dreamed of a better debut. Sam Clucas scored two stunning goals, while Lee Gregory and Joe Allen also got in on the act for the Potters.
The win enabled them to leapfrog the Tykes, who dropped to the foot of the table.
“We had to match their desire – no-one has a God-given right to be in the Championship,” said O’Neill, who returns to Northern Ireland duty for their final Euro 2020 qualifiers this week.
“I’m obviously delighted with the result. It’s one step in the right direction. It’s very, very pleasing. It was a very good performance.
“Sam (Clucas) had a great performance and they were two great goals. His all-round game is excellent.
“In this third of the season, it is very important to get the three points. We showed a lot of quality today. The key was to make sure we got the result and the performance.
They tested us to the max and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”
On the timing of his appointment, O’Neill added:
“It’s important for me to finish the campaign with Northern Ireland. The players have given me everything for the last seven/ eight years. It was a hard decision, but I thought it was a risk worth taking.”
Elsewhere, West Brom remain top after Jake Livermore scored the only goal at former club Hull.
Preston stay second after beating Huddersfield 3-1, while there were also victories for Leeds, who beat Blackburn 2-1, Nottingham Forest, who saw off Derby 1-0 in the East Midlands derby, and Fulham, who edged out Birmingham 1-0 with an Aleksandar Mitrovic goal. Swansea drew 2-2 at Sheff Wed.