Match Report: Stoke City 3, Blackburn 0
Stoke 3, Blackburn 0
Higginbotham (8), Sidibe (45), Etherington (67)
MATTHEW Etherington sprinkled a touch of gold dust over the Britannia Stadium this afternoon after scoring a sublime individual goal to round off Stoke's heaviest Premier League victory yet.
Stoke's victory had been set up by first-half goals from Danny Higginbotham, who could have scored a hat-trick, and Mama Sidibe.
Blackburn's fate was effectively sealed by Christopher Samba's 59th minute sending off for a second bookable offence.
But Etherington made absolutely sure of Stoke's memorable conquest by colluding with Liam Lawrence to net a superb effort that brought the house down.
Goals were always on the agenda after both managers named relatively attacking line-ups with Tony Pulis including both his recognised wingers, while Sam Allardyce threw two genuine strikers into his equation.
Skipper Abdoulaye Faye failed to shake off his back spasm and so Stoke started with the back four finishing Monday's draw at Sunderland, while Ricardo Fuller replaced Tuncay as they continued their personal game of musical chairs in attack.
A popular big-screen tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews before the game was still playing on the emotions by the time Asmir Begovic led the substitutes from the tunnel to generous applause from his new supporters nearby.
And it wasn't long before the cheers were reverberating around a near full-house after Higginbotham's rare goal - and even rarer strike.
Lawrence's left-wing corner was half-cleared by a Blackburn head but Higginbotham, having peeled away from goal, found himself in acres as he swung his trusty left boot at the dropping ball and cracked it through a thicket of legs from 12 yards.
Stoke had the ball in the back of the net again two minutes later when Robert Huth touched home from short range, but the whistle had already been blown against Ricardo Fuller for a debatable shove as he competed for Etherington's deep corner.
City continued in the ascendancy and Blackburn were forced to concede a 25-yard free-kick which Etherington curled disappointingly over.
Rovers might have been level in the 20th minute, however, when Morten Gamst Pedersen's cultured left boot drifted a beauty into the Stoke area for Franco di Santo to head over in front of goal.
The action was temporarily halted when Andy Wilkinson bent into Nikola Kalinic's flailing boot inside a congested City area to leave him with a gashed forehead and streaming blood for his pains.
Some neat one-touch football from the hosts was warmly appreciated, but Rovers were occupying increasing territory and giving Stoke some of their own medicine in the air as the game passed the half-hour mark.
Free-kicks were liberally littering the contest as the quality descended, while a string of Blackburn corners saw one headed goalwards by Christopher Samba and the ball scrambled off the line and inches past the post by Whitehead.
Wilkinson left the pitch once more for further treatment on his wound as the game remained physical, but not dirty, in front of a referee letting plenty go.
The half drew towards its finish with Whitehead wafting a foot unsuccessfully at a stray ball in front of the Blackburn goal after Paul Robinson had missed a long throw under considerable duress.
But City were 2-0 up in first-half stoppage time when a half-cleared throw was lobbed back into the danger zone by Etherington and Sidibe, ghosting in between the last defender and Robinson, bundled home past the former England keeper.
Half-time: Stoke 2, Blackburn 0.
The lively Lawrence was full of fancy touches down the right channel as Stoke held the upper hand early on after the break.
The pressure was maintained as Etherington swung over a right-corner for Ryan Shawcross to head powerfully goalwards from close quarters, but Robinson reacted brilliantly to palm away diving to his left.
Stoke's cause became even easier in the 59th minute when Fuller lobbed the ball over Samba inside his own half and was tugged as he made to race upfield - leaving Samba picking up his second yellow card.
And Higginbotham came close to his second and Stoke's third shortly after when greeting a deep corner with a looping header that Martin Olsson headed off his line as he stood stationed at the near post.
Another flag kick had Blackburn struggling again as Fuller's header was pawed away by an increasingly busy Robinson on his goal-line.
The best and most incisive football of the afternoon did produce Stoke's third in the 67th minute, however, when Etherington sucked in several defenders inside the D before feeding Lawrence and then accepting an immediate return ball.
There was still plenty to do as he then checked onto his left foot, when going away from goal, to wrong-foot the one defender in his way before placing his shot beyond Robinson's outstretched hand and inside his right-hand post.
Stoke were now threatening to overwhelm their battered, beaten and under-resourced visitors.
Etherington and Lawrence linked well yet again from a short corner to eventually leave Higginbotham controlling and volleying across goal and wide as bodies were packed inside the Rovers box once more.
Tuncay and James Beattie were thrown on for the latter stages - the former soon winning a corner from which Higginbotham (inevitably) headed against a defender at the far stick.
Stoke remained in cruise control thereafter to usher in the easiest of victories in the end.
TEAMS
Stoke: 29 Sorensen, 28 Wilkinson, 3 Higginbotham, 17 Shawcross, 4 Huth, 7 Lawrence, 18 Whitehead, 24 Delap, 26 Etherington, 11 Sidibe, 10 Fuller. Subs: 20 Tuncay (for Fuller,79), 9 Beattie (for Sidibe,81), 6 Whelan (for Delap,90). Not used: 27 Begovic, 14 Pugh, 15 Diao, 22 Collins.
Blackburn: 1 Robinson, 39 Chimbonda, 5 Givet, 4 Samba, 6 Nelsen, 7 Emerton, 15 N'Zonzi, 12 Pedersen, 21 Olsson, 26 Di Santo, 22 Kalinic. Subs: 17 Andrews (for di Santo,60), 27 Salgado (for Chimbonda,65), 16 Reid (for N'Zonzi,73). Not used: 32 Brown, 9 Roberts, 18 Diouf, 23 Hoilett.
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).
Att: 27,386.
Cards (yellow): Stoke - Shawcross (ungentlemanly conduct,37), Fuller (foul,73). Blackburn - Samba (ungentlemanly conduct,37), N'Zonzi (foul,53), Andrews (foul,90).
Cards (red): Samba (second bookable,59).
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