Ten-man Potters were left to rue their missed opportunities as they were held at Ewood Park

Stoke City boss Michael O’Neill will be disappointed by his side’s failure to protect a lead. However, there were many positives for the playoff-chasing Potters to take away from their 1-1 draw against Blackburn.

A signature Nick Powell header gave the Staffordshire outfit a much-deserved lead. Jordan Thompson delivered a perfectly weighted corner towards the former Manchester United man, who netted with ease.

The 26-year-old converted a similar chance in the reverse fixture, which City then went on to win 1-0. Furthermore, after not conceding an away goal since early November prior to kick-off, they were looking likely to hold on to their lead.

The visitors went from strength to strength after gaining the advantage, as they created a plethora of chances towards the end of the first half.

Thompson and Powell were orchestrating every wave of Stoke’s attacks as they were the key that continuously unlocked the Blackburn defence.

Another beautifully delivered corner from Stoke’s n0. 34 saw Powell force a fantastic save out of Thomas Kaminski in the Rovers net.

The duo combined once again as Thompson struck the post following a slick one-two that had Stoke fans full of praise.

Once Powell was withdrawn on the hour mark, the Potters lost their creative spark and were ultimately punished by division’s top scorers. John Buckley levelled the contest just four minutes after being introduced by manager Tony Mowbray- his first of the campaign.

Shortly after, the visitors suffered another setback as skipper James Chester was shown a straight red card following a challenge on Adam Armstrong, who was through on goal.

After pushing for a winner, the home side couldn’t secure all three points as the ten men of Stoke defended well and kept the game level.

A defeat for Mowbray’s men would have piled even more pressure upon the struggling manager as his side sit in 11th place; whereas, Stoke are slightly higher in eighth.

Despite squandering their advantage, City can take many positives from the encounter. Thompson once again showed his worth and added some spark to a typically dull side.

Moreover, Nick Powell was once again causing the opposition backline problems, despite playing out of position on the left of a front three. The former Wigan creator took three times as many shots as anybody on the pitch (6).

Many fans were sceptical about Powell’s involvement in O’Neill’s new 4-3-3 system as he would be forced out of the usual number ten role that’s allowed him to succeed throughout his career. This wasn’t the case as he still showcased the powers at his disposal.

Finally, new signing Rhys Norrington-Davies impressed the City faithful, making six tackles/interceptions as well as showing his attacking qualities.

Stoke face a struggling Rotherham side on Tuesday, so will be hoping that they can gain an important three points and begin to make up ground as they hunt a place in the Play-Offs.

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