Powell pops up to Nick it
NICK POWELL showed Stoke the way as he scored the early breakthrough winner – and what a gift it was, too.
The Stoke forward found himself in front of goal and unmarked to nod past Blackburn keeper Thomas Kaminski from a Morgan Fox cross after just six minutes.
And though Blackburn steadied and threatened with their pressure, the Potters were content to soak it up defensively – though at times they lived dangerously.
For his fifth goal of the season Powell was decisive, and his boss Michael
O’Neill said: “He gives everything for the team and he made sure with his header.
“We always knew he had something in his locker, in terms of balls in the air, and he showed it.”
O’Neill was pleased with yet another clean sheet – Stoke’s 15th in all competitions.
But he admitted: “Blackburn handled the ball better than us, but we defended so well against some dangerous frontmen like Adam Armstrong. We showed great spirit and determination.”
Stoke’s early goal might have been a shell-shocker for Blackburn, but they settled quickly and began to play some neat passand-move football that put Stoke on the back foot.
However, Rovers boss Tony Mowbray said: “We knew what Stoke were about. Michael has them well organised, just as he did with Northern Ireland.
“It was a frustrating game for us, very similar to our game at Bristol City, when we did enough for a result but fell to the single goal. We are still on a journey and we have to remember that.”
Armstrong threatened to add to his 16-goal tally this season, but found himself heavily marked, and even when he wriggled away to accept a set-up by teenager Harvey Elliott, he had strayed just offside.
Blackburn’s best chance came when young Elliott again turned provider and set up old hand Barry Douglas.
The Liverpool loanee provided a perfect pass as Douglas pressed forward and the Scot hammered a shot through Stoke’s static defence.
His grass-cutter left keeper Joe Bursik rooted, only for the ball to smash against the foot of a post, with the rebound hastily cleared.
Bursik 6, Collins 7, Souttar 7, Chester 7, Fox 6, Tymon 6, Cousins 6, Ince 6 (Thompson 75), Powell 8 (Oakley-Boothe 66, 6), Brown 5 (McClean 66, 6), Fletcher 7 (Vokes 75). Unused subs: Nna Noukeu, Baath, Smith, Shawcross, Verlinden, Thompson. BLACKBURN: Kaminski 6, Nyambe 7 (Buckley 78), Lenihan 6, Johnson 6, Douglas 7, Holtby 6 (Butterworth 65, 6), Trybull 5 (Downing 65, 6), Rothwell 6 (Chapman 85), Elliott 8, Armstrong 7, Gallagher 6 (Dolan 65, 6). Unused subs: Pears, Bell, Davenport, Carter.
Harvey Elliott. Blackburn’s brimful-of-talent Liverpool loanee