Stoke ended a nine-match winless streak to beat Birmingham 3-1 in the Championship and put manager Wayne Rooney into more trouble at St Andrew’s.
Victory for the Potters – secured by Jordan Thompson, Lynden Gooch and Andrew Vidigal before Jay Stansfield’s late consolation – was the first for new manager Steven Schumacher in his second match in charge, and the first since they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 on October 28.
Rooney can only look on in envy at the record of his former Everton youth team-mate as the former England and Manchester United captain has now taken nine points from a possible 39 available as Birmingham were jeered off.
Stansfield was twice denied as Birmingham started on the front foot.
But it was Stoke who stunned a raucous St Andrew’s by taking the lead after just 12 minutes.
Skipper Gooch’s shot was cleared off the line by Emanuel Aiwu after Vidigal’s cross was allowed to travel right across Blues’ box.
But the ball fell for Thompson, whose 25-yard bullet flew past goalkeeper John Ruddy into the bottom right-hand corner after being deflected off Juninho Bacuna.
Birmingham huffed and puffed as they tried to find a way back in to the game.
Boos rang out from frustrated home fans as Vidigal ballooned over on the half-hour mark when he should have scored as Birmingham’s back-four disappeared yet again.
The boos rang right around the ground just a minute later as Gooch darted down the left in a lightning counter before coolly slotting under Ruddy to double Stoke’s lead.
James held his head in his hands after coming within a whisker of sliding home Aiwu’s fantastic ball deep into the first 45.
But Vidigal nearly bagged a third for the visitors as he volleyed just over with Ruddy well off his line on the brink of half-time.
Marc Roberts wasted the chance to pull one back when he headed Bacuna’s dinked ball wide from five yards.
Birmingham were made to pay a heavy price as the Potters made it 3-0 after 54 minutes.
Wouter Burger fed Vidigal, who twisted inside skipper Dion Sanderson before lifting the ball over Ruddy to send shell-shocked Birmingham fans heading for the exits.
Stoke supporters chanted “You’re getting sacked in the morning” at Rooney as Blues struggled to lay a glove on them.
Ruddy smothered at the feet of Ryan Mmaee before the hosts grabbed a goal back after 69 minutes through Stansfield.
Teenage substitute Romelle Donovan, 17, saw his effort saved by keeper Jack Bonham after a brilliant mazy run before the loose ball was swept in by Stansfield.
Everyone wants to beat Leverkusen, says Alonso ahead of Frankfurt clash
Bayer Leverkusen continue to edge towards a remarkable unbeaten season and Xabi Alonso acknowledged every club wants to put that run to an end.
The newly-crowned Bundesliga champions moved a step closer to a treble after beating Roma 2-0 away in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday.
Alonso's side have also reached the DFB-Pokal final against Kaiserslautern as their extraordinary 47-game unbeaten run continues across all competitions.
Leverkusen, who ended Bayern Munich's 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga title to secure their first trophy since 1993, travel to sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
"We want to stay unbeaten and we know every week it gets tougher. Everyone wants to beat us," Alonso told reporters.
"It hasn't been easy in Frankfurt in recent years, they've always a tough opponent with a flexible system of play. We don't have much time to prepare."
The 42-year-old Spaniard will be watching the Frankfurt game from the stands after receiving his fourth yellow card of the season during his side's 2-2 home draw with Stuttgart last week.
"You can see the game better from the stands and I can communicate with the bench," he said.
"I will miss the direct contact with the team during the game but the players are intelligent enough to decide situations individually on the pitch."
Ricketts congratulates 'Bunny' Shaw on FWA Women's Player of the Year award
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts saluted Reggae Girl and Manchester City striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw on her latest accomplishment of being voted the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Women’s Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season.
Shaw won the women’s Footballer of the Year award with 80 per cent of the voters opting for either the Manchester City striker or Chelsea’s Lauren James. James finished runner-up with another Manchester City standout Alex Greenwood finishing third. Yui Hasegawa, Elisabeth Terland and Khiara Keating completed the top six.
In a release on Friday, Ricketts pointed out that the award spoke volumes of Shaw's impact on Manchester City's Women's Super League charge, as she has been a model of consistency since joining the Gareth Taylor-coached club in 2021. Her performances have placed Manchester City on the brink of securing their first WSL title since 2016.
“This award is a beautiful feather in her cap and a massive advertisement for Jamaica’s football,” Ricketts said.
“I am happy to see the consistency in quality shown by Khadija. She has always been a top player, but her standard has risen a notch this season. This augurs well for the national team in the future. We wish her all the best on the road to recovery,” he added.
Prior to Shaw sustaining a broken foot during her last Women’s Super League match against West Ham, the Reggae Girls captain scored 21 goals, which were complemented by three assists in 18 games this season.
Shaw is the third Jamaican-born individual to have won the award after John Barnes (1987-88, 1989-90) and Raheem Sterling in 2019.
However, she is the first national representative to receive the honour, as both Barnes and Sterling were England internationals when they earned the recognition.
'It's football hunger' – Moyes intent on West Ham stay as Lopetegui speculation swirls
David Moyes insisted there remains a "football hunger" to carry West Ham forward as speculation persists over the Hammers moving for Julen Lopetegui.
Widespread reports suggest West Ham have been in contact with Lopetegui, who left Wolves ahead of the 2023-24 campaign after just eight months in charge.
Yet Moyes reiterated his commitment to West Ham as the Scotsman aims for another top-10 Premier League finish, with the Hammers ninth in the table heading into the weekend's action.
"Absolutely, it's football hunger," Moyes responded when questioned on his drive to take West Ham to the next level.
"I'm nearly a bit embarrassed to be asked that question because I'm a football nut. I love my football, I go to games, I love it, really do. I have got great hunger."
"I said to everybody that we will make a decision at the end of the season."
West Ham and Moyes will hope to end a three-game winless run in the league when they head to London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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