OUT of favour Super Eagles striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, was left stranded with his Premiership side, Blackburn Rovers, which recorded its eighth defeat of the season yesterday. The defeat by Stoke leaves them firmly in the mire of the bottom three and looking increasingly like relegation favourites.Stoke ended a run of four straight league defeats with a comprehensive win over struggling Blackburn to pile the pressure on Rovers boss Steve Kean.Despite having just signed a new deal, Kean faced protests from his own fans through the game and in the end Rovers' fragility was starkly exposed by Stoke.Rory Delap headed the opener from Jermaine Pennant's cross, before Glenn Whelan's deflected strike made it 2-0.And Peter Crouch's neat shot sealed the win before Ruben Rochina's consolation.The win takes the Potters back up into the top half of the table as they extended their unbeaten run against Rovers to six Premier League games.While a record of six wins in 33 league games would get many football managers the sack, at Blackburn, it earned Kean a revised contract.However, while that did little to appease the Rovers fans desperate for a managerial change, it did at least appear to have a positive impact on the starting XI, who were full of running and commitment early on.That commitment over-ran on occasion in the case of Steven Nzonzi, who was fortunate to get away with not one but two elbows - the first on Ryan Shawcross, the second on Whelan - but nevertheless, it was impressive to see the visitors clearly playing for their manager.This was Stoke's fifth consecutive home win against Blackburn, a streak that started in 1965.For all their endeavour, however, a distinct lack of quality in key positions cost Blackburn dear and as Stoke grew stronger as the game went on, Kean's men simply fell away.The fact that it took Rovers until the 45th minute of a first half devoid of much quality football from either side to get a shot in on goal - Rochina's long-ranger easily saved - only underlined their lack of attacking threat.By that time Stoke were already ahead, Delap making the most of a superb Pennant free-kick to head into the corner on 28 minutes.And while Blackburn burst out of the traps in the second half - and should have drawn level on the back of a Rochina dribble into the box, only for Mauro Formica to completely miss contact with the ball six yards out with the goal gaping - the visitors' confidence evaporated after Stoke's second.
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