FOOTBALL Live

Saturday December 20, 2008 Finished Ewood Park

3 - 0

Blackburn Rovers

  • McCarthy 8’, 26’
  • Roberts 17’

Stoke City

  1. Allardyce off to Blackburn flyer

    Allardyce off to Blackburn flyer

    Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce began his tenure at the club in emphatic fashion as his side beat Stoke City 3-0 at Ewood Park. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Blackburn Rovers
    • Stoke City
    • 90+4' Peter Walton brings play to a close and Sam Allardyce salutes Ewood Park with a clenched fist as his side clinch a 3-0 win for the most perfect start under his tenure.
    • 90+3' Jason Roberts finds himself inside the box with just Simonsen to beat, but he inexplicably passes his shot tamely straight at the keeper.
    • 90+2' Sam Allardyce is having strong words with the fourth official, which seems strange as there is little going on, and his side are strolling.
    • 90' Like the first half, there will be four added minutes at the end of the second; and it can't come quickly enough for both sides by the look of things.
    • 88' The excellent Soares skips down the right wing, beating Warnock, before finding Cresswell, whose stooping header clips the outside of Robinson's near post.
    • 87' Substitute Matt Derbyshire is really struggling; going down in a heap with no-one anywhere near him. He's back on the pitch now, but is trotting gingerly.
    • 85' Tom Soares has looked particularly bright for Stoke since his introduction, while Danny Simpson replaces Brett Emerton in Allardyce's last change.
    • 83' After that flurry of chances, the game seems to have calmed down a bit, but there may be a few more to come in the closing stages.
    • 80' Richard Cresswell has a marauding run which results in substitute Seyi Olofinjana firing a ferocious shot at Robinson, and Fuller misses a glorious chance to score with the follow-up.
    • 78' The introduction of Tugay has been largely responsible for the chances which have since unfolded for Rovers, with the Turk involved in every attack. Two-goal Benni McCarthy is replaced by Matt Derbyshire. Also, Seyi Olofinjana replaces Amdy Faye for Stoke.
    • 75' Three chances in three minutes for Rovers, as Benni McCarthy hammers a shot from inside the area against the outside of Simonsen's left post following a corner.
    • 74' Only a minute later, Roberts found himself through on goal with just the keeper to beat, but Simonsen spread himself and saved well.
    • 73' A great chance for Blackburn to add a fourth; Pedersen drills his shot at Simonsen, but Roberts is flagged offside as he looked to dispatch the rebound from close-range.
    • 71' Benni McCarthy is put through on goal by a defence-splitting pass by Keith Andrews, but he is takled by Ryan Shawcross.
    • 68' Tugay is coming on for Blackburn in place of David Dunn to provide Rovers a replacement puppeteer in the middle of midfield to link play.
    • 66' Neat play from Tom Soares leads to a whipped cross by Danny Higginbotham, but Ricardo Fuller's glanced header is saved comfortably by Paul Robinson.
    • 63' Brett Emerton forces his way down the right wing and delivers a cross which is headed behind by Sonko for a corner - typically forceful play by the Australian.
    • 61' Sam Allardyce is still demanding his subs bench to carry on warming up, but there is no sign as yet that he will make any changes.
    • 58' Tony Pulis makes his first substitutions, replacing Rory Delap for Tom Soares, and Vincent Pericard for Michael Tonge.
    • 56' Glenn Whelan curls a sublime free-kick, which has Paul Robinson scrambling desperately to his left, but it glances the post and side-netting.
    • 54' Stoke continue to play their percentage football, launching deliveries into the box at every opportunity; but Fuller is not able to get on the end of anything yet.
    • 52' The match has barely got going so far in this second half. I dare say we need a Stoke goal to stoke the fires of this game.
    • 49' A good headed opportunity for Abdoulaye Faye from a corner, whose effort floats over the bar with Robinson nowhere. He really should have scored there.
    • 48' Fuller impressively turns Andrews and releases Delap down the left with a fine pass, but Ryan Nelsen recovers well to dispossess the Irishman.
    • 46' The second half is underway and Tony Pulis looks as though he's just been on Jerry Springer for the last 15 minutes.
    • 45+4' That's half-time, and Blackburn depart to a raptuous reception from the home fans - they're 3-0 up and in buoyant mood. Stoke have the prospect of a Tony Pulis rollicking awaiting them now.
    • 45+3' The half seems to be petering out towards the break, with many fans at Ewood Park off to get their Bovril and pie, while the players are just scrapping away pretty aimlessly. Richard Cresswell is booked after a mis-timed challenge.
    • 45+1' Glenn Whelan, Stoke's best player so far today, epitomises his side's increasingly frustrated attitude by launching a hopeless 40-yarder miles over the bar.
    • 45' Four minutes are to be added at the end of this first-half, due to the numerous on-field treatment sessions required following collisions.
    • 44' Pedersen whips in a terrific cross from the left, but Benni McCarthy failed to get a significant touch, which would have been his hat-trick.
    • 42' Glenn Whelan continues to be instrumental in midfield for Stoke, stringing passes together fluently, but the visitors can't create any clear-cut chances.
    • 39' Richard Cresswell attempts an audacious overhead kick in the penalty area after a cross from Glenn Whelan, but he fails to make decent contact.
    • 37' Samba is back for now, but Zurab Khizanishvili warming up vigorously on the touchline.
    • 34' Samba and Pericard collide in the air yet again, and the big defender is down receiving lengthy treatment - he looks very shaken.
    • 29' Stoke cannot believe how they are 3-0 down as they have dominated possession, with Rovers barely able to string five passes together. The home side have been mighty effective, though, as Allardyce will no doubt point out.
    • 26' GOAL!! It's three for Blackburn! Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts combine superbly, before Roberts' shot is parried by Simonsen and McCarthy follows-up for his second. It could not be more against the run of play!
    • 25' A hopeful cross from Delap is not cleared properly by Samba and it falls to Ricardo Fuller on the penalty spot, but the striker completely scuffs his shot and it goes wide.
    • 23' Amdy Faye is now down injured, clutching his head after a knock from Keith Andrews, but he too will be back on the pitch in a few moments.
    • 22' Andre Ooijer collides heavily with Vincent Pericard and hobbles of to the sideline, accompanied by the physio, but he looks like he'll be okay.
    • 20' Stoke continue to press, but to the dismay of Tony Pulis, The Potters find themselves 2-0 down after only 20 minutes.
    • 17' GOAL!! Blackburn double their lead through Jason Roberts! Benni McCarthy and Brett Emerton combine to deliver for the striker, before it canons off Ryan Shawcross into his path.
    • 15' Rovers are coming back into it slightly in terms of possession; David Dunn delivers a fantastic raking pass out to Pedersen, but the winger's cross is over-hit.
    • 13' Stoke are putting Blackburn under intense pressure now and have responded superbly to going behind.
    • 11' Sonko has two more long throws, the first of which Paul Robinson came and completely missed his punch, but Christopher Samba clears imperiously.
    • 8' GOAL!!! Blackburn win a penalty through Morten Gamst Pedersen, who skips past Sonko and is brought down; Benni McCarthy then dispatches the spot-kick emphatically to Simonsen's right.
    • 7' Stoke hit the bar as a result of a cross-shot from Glenn Whelan, which loops over Paul Robinson, but the keeper does well to tip it onto the woodwork and away.
    • 6' Ibrahima Sonko takes an enormous, high and floating throw-in which causes mayhem in the box - so it is not just Delap, then.
    • 4' Stoke have Blackburn pressed into their own half at the moment and Danny Higginbotham is viciously clipped by Benni McCarthy, but referee Peter Walton keeps his cards close to his chest.
    • 2' Stoke take the sting out of proceedings with Ryan Shawcross taking an age over a throw-in. A gamesmanship ploy to diffuse the raucous atmosphere at Ewood Park today, no doubt.
    • 1' To the surprise of everyone, with the exception of Tony Pulis and his Stoke side, Steve Simonsen comes in at the last minute to replace Thomas Sorensen, who sustained an injury during the warm-up. Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce has emerged to a standing ovation from the tunnel and signs a wealth of autographs...oh, and by the way, play is finally underway!
    • - Allardyce makes three changes to the side which last played under Paul Ince: David Dunn replaces Tugay in what is the midfielders first start since August 23; and Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts come in for Roque Santa Cruz and Matt Derbyshire, respectively. Stoke boss, Tony Pulis, also makes three changes, with Vincent Pericard, Ryan Shawcross and Richard Cresswell replacing Mamady Sidibe, Andy Wilkinson and Danny Pugh.
    • - Welcome to this Premier League encounter between Blackburn and Stoke at Ewood Park. Much of the focus of today's game will be on new Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, who will be taking charge of the side for the first time.

  • Team Stats

    Blackburn Rovers Stats Stoke City
    51% Possession 49%
    12 Shots 13
    8 Shots on target 2
    1 Saves 4
    3 Corners 7
    12 Fouls 12
    3 Offsides 2
    0 Yellow cards 2
    0 Red cards 0
    24 Tackles 9
    207 Accurate passes 214
    42 Bad passes 60

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Blackburn Rovers
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Paul Robinson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 0
      4 Christopher Samba 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 13 0 4
      3 Stephen Warnock 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 20 8 3
      7 Brett Emerton 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 22 0 2
      2 Andre Ooijer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 0 4
      6 Ryan Nelsen 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 11 4 4
      17 Keith Andrews 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 26 5 1
      8 David Dunn 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 28 2 1
      12 Morten Gamst Pedersen 0 2 1 2 3 0 0 14 8 1
      10 Benedict McCarthy 2 3 2 2 1 1 0 12 3 0
      30 Jason Roberts 1 5 4 2 2 2 0 15 4 2
      15 Aaron Mokoena 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      32 Jason Brown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      13 Zurab Khizanishvili 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      27 Matt Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
      5 Kerimoglou Tugay 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 13 4 2
      25 Alan Judge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      22 Danny Simpson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
    • Stoke City
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Steve Simonsen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 0
      33 Ibrahima Sonko 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 15 0 2
      3 Danny Higginbotham 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 29 18 0
      17 Ryan Shawcross 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 17 0 3
      25 Abdoulaye Faye 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 22 4 0
      6 Glenn Whelan 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 42 10 1
      19 Amdy Faye 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 16 4 2
      24 Rory Delap 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 0 0
      15 Vincent Pericard 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 5 4 0
      10 Ricardo Fuller 0 3 1 2 3 1 0 11 5 0
      9 Richard Cresswell 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 11 5 0
      29 Thomas Sorensen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      8 Tom Soares 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 0
      28 Andy Wilkinson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      4 Seyi Olofinjana 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 0 1
      23 Michael Tonge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 8 0
      21 Andrew Davies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      14 Danny Pugh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90+3' Jason Roberts finds himself inside the box with just Simonsen to beat, but he inexplicably passes his shot tamely straight at the keeper.
    • 88' The excellent Soares skips down the right wing, beating Warnock, before finding Cresswell, whose stooping header clips the outside of Robinson's near post.
    • 80' Richard Cresswell has a marauding run which results in substitute Seyi Olofinjana firing a ferocious shot at Robinson, and Fuller misses a glorious chance to score with the follow-up.
    • 75' Three chances in three minutes for Rovers, as Benni McCarthy hammers a shot from inside the area against the outside of Simonsen's left post following a corner.
    • 74' Only a minute later, Roberts found himself through on goal with just the keeper to beat, but Simonsen spread himself and saved well.
    • 73' A great chance for Blackburn to add a fourth; Pedersen drills his shot at Simonsen, but Roberts is flagged offside as he looked to dispatch the rebound from close-range.
    • 66' Neat play from Tom Soares leads to a whipped cross by Danny Higginbotham, but Ricardo Fuller's glanced header is saved comfortably by Paul Robinson.
    • 56' Glenn Whelan curls a sublime free-kick, which has Paul Robinson scrambling desperately to his left, but it glances the post and side-netting.
    • 49' A good headed opportunity for Abdoulaye Faye from a corner, whose effort floats over the bar with Robinson nowhere. He really should have scored there.
    • 44' Pedersen whips in a terrific cross from the left, but Benni McCarthy failed to get a significant touch, which would have been his hat-trick.
    • 26' GOAL!! It's three for Blackburn! Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts combine superbly, before Roberts' shot is parried by Simonsen and McCarthy follows-up for his second. It could not be more against the run of play!
    • 25' A hopeful cross from Delap is not cleared properly by Samba and it falls to Ricardo Fuller on the penalty spot, but the striker completely scuffs his shot and it goes wide.
    • 17' GOAL!! Blackburn double their lead through Jason Roberts! Benni McCarthy and Brett Emerton combine to deliver for the striker, before it canons off Ryan Shawcross into his path.
    • 8' GOAL!!! Blackburn win a penalty through Morten Gamst Pedersen, who skips past Sonko and is brought down; Benni McCarthy then dispatches the spot-kick emphatically to Simonsen's right.
    • 7' Stoke hit the bar as a result of a cross-shot from Glenn Whelan, which loops over Paul Robinson, but the keeper does well to tip it onto the woodwork and away.
    • - Welcome to this Premier League encounter between Blackburn and Stoke at Ewood Park. Much of the focus of today's game will be on new Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, who will be taking charge of the side for the first time.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Peter Walton

  • Blackburn Rovers

    Manager: Sam Allardyce

    Captain: Ryan Nelsen

    Starting line-up

    • P. Robinson
    • A. Ooijer
    • C. Samba
    • R. Nelsen
    • S. Warnock
    • B. Emerton Substitution Out (85′)
    • K. Andrews
    • D. Dunn Substitution Out (68′)
    • M. Pedersen
    • J. Roberts Goal
    • B. McCarthy Goals×2 Substitution Out (78′)

    Subs

    • K. Tugay Substitution In68′
    • A. Mokoena
    • M. Derbyshire Substitution In78′
    • J. Brown
    • D. Simpson Substitution In85′
    • A. Judge

    Injured

    • V. Grella
    • S. Reid
    • Z. Khizanishvili

    Suspended

    None

  • Stoke City

    Manager: Tony Pulis

    Starting line-up

    • S. Simonsen
    • R. Shawcross
    • A. Diagne-Faye
    • I. Sonko
    • D. Higginbotham
    • R. Cresswell Yellow Card
    • A. Faye Yellow Card Substitution Out (75′)
    • G. Whelan
    • R. Delap Substitution Out (58′)
    • R. Fuller
    • V. Pericard Substitution Out (58′)

    Subs

    • T. Sorensen
    • D. Pugh
    • M. Tonge Substitution In58′
    • A. Davies
    • S. Olofinjana Substitution In75′
    • T. Soares Substitution In58′
    • A. Wilkinson

    Injured

    • M. Sidibe
    • L. Lawrence
    • L. Cort

    Suspended

    None