Tom Cannon scored four goals as Stoke thrashed Portsmouth 6-1 to give new boss Narcis Pelach an emphatic first Championship win as Potters boss.
The on-loan Leicester striker had not previously scored in the league since his double for the Foxes on New Year’s Day.
But he netted his first two goals for the club and Sam Gallagher also opened his account as City led 3-1 at half-time.
And, as City went goal crazy with five in a 10-minute spell either side of the break, he added two more, including a contentious 48th-minute penalty.
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Leicester City loanee Tom Cannon scores four goals for Stoke against Portsmouth on just his third appearance for The Potters
Brighton loanee Andrew Moran also got in the act with Stoke’s sixth after Moran’s Seagulls teammate Mark O’Mahoney equalised for John Mousinho’s side after 29 minutes.
Portsmouth’s defeat set an unwanted post-war record of eight league games without a win at the start of a new campaign.
Stoke had only scored four goals in their previous seven Championship outings but went close twice inside 30 seconds of kick-off.
Ben Wilmot cracked a left-footed shot against the crossbar while Will Norris blocked Enda Stevens’ follow-up.
Stoke continued to set the pace with Cannon shooting narrowly wide and Gallagher steering a shot into the side netting.
And it was no surprise when Cannon fired City in front after 13 minutes. Marlon Pack was penalised for fouling Gallagher and the 21-year-old Irishman curled in the resulting free-kick past Norris.
The Pompey goalie played a big role in his side’s equaliser in the 29th minute. His quick throw freed Jacob Murphy whose rapid run and burst through Lewis Koumas and Stevens saw him tee-up O’Mahoney.
That was as good as it got for Pompey. Two minutes before half-time Gallagher’s pass played in Cannon to shoot left-footed beyond Norris.
Stoke were only warming up and Moran seized on Norris’ dismal pass before assisting for ex-Blackburn striker Gallagher to rocket home from 20 yards.
Norris’ nightmare night continued when he was adjudged to have fouled Cannon, though referee Tom Nield initially appeared to signal in favour of the visitors.
Cannon dusted himself down and fired his spot-kick beyond the shell-shocked Norris.
Three minutes later Cannon became the first Stoke player for 24 years to register four goals in a game with an angled left-foot shot.
There was one more moment of celebration for the home fans as Bae Jun-ho picked out Moran to finish in the 53rd minute as Stoke hit six for the first time since blitzing Liverpool in the Premier League nine years ago.
The managers
Stoke’s Narcis Pelach:
“I replaced him (Cannon, on Saturday) and said, ‘I cannot be waiting for performances in the middle of a game. I needed to do what was right for the team. But I want to let you know I am going to back you. Three, four, five bad performances will not change my opinion about you’.
“I know he is a good player but he needs game time.
“Life is about confidence and I have confidence in him. I told him, ‘you need to feel free and you will start again’.
“I want to base something that is based on trust. He is a young player so we need to be supportive and tonight he got his reward.
“The game plan worked very well and the players were spot on. The intensity we had defensively was very good.”
Portsmouth’s John Mousinho:
“I haven’t seen that level of performance or the boys go under like they did for that 10-minute spell either side of half-time.
“We got exactly what we deserved. We didn’t run, we didn’t compete, we lost headers, we lost tackles, we lost second balls.
“It was a big surprise because we have been so good in the last three games.
“We started abysmally as though it was going to be this easy game.
“I am not sure what the mentality of the players was going into it. But that’s my problem and I have to address it.
“Myself and the coaching staff will take full responsibility for anything we need to do. But the players need to look at themselves tomorrow when we assess the game and take a long hard look at themselves.
“The fans were amazing and didn’t deserve that. We didn’t deserve what they gave us.
“So, massive apologies to everyone who spent their money to come up to Stoke. It is unacceptable, we all know that and we are very lucky to have that backing.”
