Tom Cannon netted four times as Stoke City demolished Portsmouth 6-1, marking a resounding first Championship victory for new manager Narcis Pelach. Cannon, on loan from Leicester City, had not found the back of the net in the league since his brace for the Foxes on New Year’s Day.
However, he scored his first two goals for Stoke and Sam Gallagher also got off the mark as the Potters led 3-1 at half-time. In a frenzied 10-minute period either side of the break, City added five more goals, with Cannon contributing another two, including a disputed penalty in the 48th minute.
Andrew Moran, on loan from Brighton, joined the scoring spree with Stoke’s sixth goal, after his Seagulls’ teammate Mark O’Mahoney had levelled for John Mousinho’s Portsmouth at the 29-minute mark. The defeat for Portsmouth set an undesirable post-war record of eight league matches without a win at the start of a new season.
Stoke, who had only managed to score four goals in their previous seven Championship games, threatened twice within the first 30 seconds of kick-off. Ben Wilmot struck a left-footed shot against the crossbar while Will Norris thwarted Enda Stevens’ subsequent attempt.
Stoke maintained their momentum with Cannon shooting narrowly wide and Gallagher directing a shot into the side netting. It was, therefore, no surprise when Cannon put City ahead after 13 minutes. Marlon Pack was penalised for fouling Gallagher and the young Irishman expertly curled the resulting free-kick past Norris.
The Pompey goalkeeper played a significant role in his team’s equalising goal in the 29th minute. His swift throw released Jacob Murphy, whose speedy run and breakthrough past Lewis Koumas and Stevens allowed him to set up O’Mahoney.
However, that was the highlight for Pompey. Just two minutes before the half-time whistle, Gallagher’s pass enabled Cannon to fire a left-footed shot past Norris. Stoke were just getting started, and Moran capitalised on Norris’ poor pass to assist former Blackburn striker Gallagher in blasting a goal from 20 yards out.
Norris’ dreadful evening continued when he was deemed to have fouled Cannon, despite referee Tom Nield initially seeming to signal in favour of the visitors. Cannon composed himself and sent his penalty kick beyond the stunned Norris.
Three minutes later, Cannon became the first Stoke player in 24 years to score four goals in a match with a slanted left-foot shot. There was one final moment of jubilation for the home supporters as Bae Jun-ho found Moran to score in the 53rd minute, marking the first time Stoke had scored six goals since their rout of Liverpool in the Premier League nine years prior.
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