Ali Al-Hamadi stretches to score Stoke City's winning goal against Blackburn Rovers
Stoke City claimed their first victory in five league games to peel away from the Championship drop zone and extend Blackburn Rovers' recent poor form.
Ali Al-Hamadi, on loan from Ipswich Town, scored a first-half goal to seal all three points for Mark Robins' side.
The victory lifted the Potters into 19th spot, four points above the bottom three, with Blackburn, in ninth, continuing to search for their first victory under the recently appointed Valerien Ismael.
Rovers had a late chance to equalise through Joe Rankin-Costello, only to be denied by Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
Stoke made a bright start through Million Manhoef, who saw his eighth-minute shot blocked.
Despite that early setback, it did not take long for the hosts to take the initiative when they went ahead in the 19th minute through Al-Hamadi.
Blackburn centre-half Dominic Hyam played a dreadful cross-field ball that was easily intercepted by Bae Jun-ho. The Stoke man raced towards goal and played the ball into the path of Lewis Baker, overlapping down the left wing. His low pass across the face of goal was converted by the outstretched Al-Hamadi at the far post.
Blackburn, however, were quick to react.
Tyrhys Dolan was picked out by Makhtar Gueye's pass in the 25th minute, springing the Stoke offside trap. His low cross fell to Todd Cantwell, whose well-struck shot hit the post and rolled away.
The visitors pressed at the start of the second half, and came close to an equaliser in the 50th minute.
Callum Brittain struck a beautiful 20-yard shot from a Rovers' corner, only to see his effort dip just over the Stoke goal. But that was as good as it got for the visitors until the final moments of the game.
Stoke resumed their dominance and continued to look for a second, with Rovers struggling to find a response.
Robins' side went close again in the 72nd minute. Al-Hamadi fed Lewis Koumas, who sprinted towards the box before passing across goal for Jun-ho - only for Aynsley Pears to claim the ball.
As the game edged into the third minute of stoppage time, Rovers were denied an equaliser when Johansson produced a brilliant save from Rankin-Costello.
It was to be their final chance as Stoke held on for a valuable three points.
Stoke City manager Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke:
"It was really hard fought. They were a tough nut to crack. The support was fantastic, cheering every tackle, every foray forward, and they stayed with us until the end.
"We started brightly, we scored a brilliant goal, and it was sharp. We played in spells, really well, but at some point we make a mistake and shoot ourselves in the foot.
"Inevitably, the other side puts you under pressure, but we had Viktor behind us who kept us in it and made a couple of brilliant saves.
"I'm really pleased. The endeavour was there, commitment was there, the desire was there. We were focused on what we were trying to do.
"There is room for improvement, and that's a good thing. We are in a good position in terms of the physicality and mental side of it, and we have some really good players here. I'm delighted with those three points."
Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"The performance in the first half wasn't what we expected. We made a mistake, but how we finished the first half, how we played in the second half, is what we wanted to see from minute one.
"The players showed quality. Last season, the Rovers were in a bad situation with much more pressure, and now we are competing for something positive, so we need to enjoy it and start the games as we started the second half.
"We need to work on our confidence. The second half was much better. We have to build on that."
