Manhoef strikes as Stoke win at Blackburn

Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson was the star of the show as the Potters ended their away day woes with a 2-0 win at Blackburn.

Stoke made the trip north without a win or a goal in any of their last four league games on the road but soaked up first-half pressure from Rovers before Million Manhoef struck just before the hour.

Before Tom Cannon sealed it from the spot in the 85th minute, Johansson made a series of superb saves to deny an increasingly desperate Blackburn, who suffered a third straight defeat and failed to score for a fourth consecutive game.

The win lifts Stoke up to 14th in the table, only one point behind Blackburn who drop to 10th as boos from the home end came at the final whistle.

Blackburn bossed the opening half of the game and were left to wonder how they failed to score. Wouter Burger prevented Yuki Ohashi from reaching Callum Brittain’s dangerous cross before the Japanese forward saw his shot from a tight angle saved.

When Andi Weimann played in Ryan Hedges, the Welshman took too long as Junior Tchamadeu slid in. Stoke struggled to clear the resulting corner and Johansson had to palm away Ohashi’s near-post header.

Stoke were appealing in vain for a penalty after Enda Stevens’ cross struck a defender but while they argued with referee Andy Davies, Cantwell raced to the other end only to wastefully shoot wide.

The half ended with Stoke having a superb chance to nick the lead against the run of play. Lewis Koumas’ shot was blocked but the ball fell for Stevens to tee up Manhoef, who prodded it straight at a grateful Aynsley Pears.

A dipping effort from Rovers captain Lewis Travis tested Johansson early in the second half but it was Stoke who, for the first time in the game, looked more dangerous.

Seconds after Ohashi fluffed a chance to run at goal, falling over after being played in by Brittain, the visitors took the lead in the 57th minute as Manhoef found space on the edge of the area and drilled a shot beyond Pears for his fifth of the season.

Blackburn needed a response and crafted a fine move from which Ohashi looked poised to nod in but Tchamadeu arrived just in time to block his effort.

Manhoef had a superb chance to double Stoke’s lead in the 64th minute as they broke again but saw his shot well saved by Pears.

Johansson then stepped forward with a string of outstanding saves to preserve Stoke’s lead.

First he got a hand to a curling effort from Blackburn substitute Tyrhys Dolan to push it over the bar. The Sweden international then made an even better save to keep out Weimann’s header from close range, with his team-mates rushing to congratulate him.

Johansson could only watch when, with 10 minutes left, the goal was gaping for Makhtar Gueye but somehow the Senegalese forward’s downward header bounced over the bar from point-blank range.

The pressure was then eased with five minutes left when a sloppy back-pass put Danny Batth in trouble and he brought down Bae Jun-ho in the box, with Cannon sealing the win from the spot.

The managers

Blackburn’s John Eustace:

“I thought we were excellent, one of the best performances since I’ve been here. We’re disappointed not to score any of the chances we had and we’ve got to defend better for the two goals but I thought we were really good tonight…

“Any other day we could have won the game three or four-nil. The attitude of the group is fantastic, they haven’t let me down or let the club down since I’ve been here.

“That never-say-die attitude was there to see today. Obviously we need to defend and keep clean sheets but it’s important to stay positive and that performance was really excellent.”

Stoke’s Narcis Pelach:

“He’s very ambitious. After the game I said, ‘Viktor, a great performance, but I want more’. He needs to make sure he stays humble. He can do more, he can grow more, there are more things he can do.

“Don’t get too high on this. It is just a win. We have another game on Saturday and we need to make sure we are at the maximum level…

“His character is very honest, very humble, very ambitious. But every day is a test and you need to make sure you show it every day. He performed really well but I want him to think like that to make sure he’s there for the team again.”