Stoke City put on an impressive display as they secured a dominant 6-1 victory over Portsmouth, with Tom Cannon stealing the show by scoring four goals.
The game started with a bang as Ben Wilmot hit the crossbar with a powerful effort within the first 30 seconds. The momentum continued for Stoke as Cannon’s free-kick found the back of the net, despite Pompey’s goalkeeper, Will Norris, getting a touch on it.
Portsmouth managed to equalize through O’Mahony, but Stoke quickly regained the lead before half-time thanks to Cannon’s clinical finish. The home team extended their lead just before the break when Gallagher capitalized on a mistake by Norris to score from the edge of the box.
After the interval, Cannon completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, and then added a fourth goal to his tally shortly after. Moran and Junho also got on the scoresheet in a ruthless five-minute spell at the beginning of the second half.
Although O’Mahony managed to score a consolation goal for Portsmouth, the damage had already been done by Stoke, who scored five goals in just 13 minutes. The result leaves Portsmouth struggling in 23rd place, while Stoke’s first win in four games lifted them to 15th in the table.
Overall, it was a superb performance from Stoke City, with Cannon’s goal-scoring heroics stealing the spotlight and securing a well-deserved victory for his team. The result will surely boost Stoke’s confidence moving forward in the season, while Portsmouth will need to regroup and bounce back from this heavy defeat.
