Tom Cannon became the first Stoke City player to score four goals in one match in 24 years as he fired Narcis Pelach to a crushing first victory as head coach.
Cannon has barely had a touch in his opening matches since joining on loan from Leicester but he took out any frustration on Portsmouth. He was the spearhead for a Stoke team pretty much playing a different sport as they had at the weekend, hitting six in total in a league game for the first time since hammering Liverpool at this ground back in 2015. No player had hit four since Peter Thorne.
The 21-year-old striker was a constant menace dashing behind the visiting defence and, paired with Sam Gallagher – who also scored an exceptional goal on his full debut – he showed the kind of ruthless touch that had ensured he was in such demand during the summer window. Andrew Moran also scored his first league goal for Stoke, who had only scored four times in their previous seven games.
Here are the player ratings from the bet365 Stadium:
Johansson: Played his part in the tempo by being so quick to set Stoke up on the counter-attack with throws down the line. 8
Wilmot: Thunderous long ranger in the opening minute crashed against the bar but set the tone for a side that was going to play on the front foot. Big task at right-back against Josh Murphy. 8
Stevens: An underrated influence on this Stoke team, despite having his head in his hands following Portsmouth goal. 8
Rose: Not a bad first league start of the season. Slotted in well next to Gibson, consistently doing all the simple things well. 8
Gibson: Swept up at times in by far his best performance yet in a Stoke shirt. Could see him directing things too. 8
Burger: Far better. A big job for him as the deeper one in what was at times a 4-1-1-4 and he was prepared to get stuck in as well as keep play ticking. 8.5
Moran: A real menace as he ghosted into dangerous positions in the final third, earning a well-taken goal for Stoke’s sixth. 8.5
Koumas: A lot of energy up and down the right wing. Looked gutted by the Portsmouth goal but his attacking play overshadowed that. 8
Junho: Much more like himself, linking with players around him. He constantly took up positions where he could affect the game and chipped in with assists. 8.5
Gallagher: A brilliant first start for Stoke, capped by superb long ranger. Another should have stood too but for wrong offside call. Great foil for Cannon with strong presence. 9
Cannon: Superb. The first Stoke player to score four since 2000, with pace, good runs and a clinical touch. Up and running and then some. 9.5
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