Lewis Baker’s first-half goal proved enough as Stoke extended their unbeaten league run to seven matches with a narrow 1-0 victory at Championship bottom side Rotherham.
The Potters have not lost since a home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on December 9, which cost former boss Alex Neil his job.
New manager Steven Schumacher secured his second victory in the hotseat thanks to Baker’s stunning free-kick.
Quick thinking from Viktor Johansson denied an early chance for Baker, who had been put through on goal by a smart ball from Ryan Mmaee.
Rotherham’s first attempt on goal came from former Stoke man Sam Clucas and his speculative drive from distance took a slight deflection before whistling just wide.
Andre Vidigal then forced a save out of Johansson with a powerful shot from the edge of the box.
Stoke took the lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage-time, with Baker lashing in an unstoppable free-kick from the edge of the box.
A sweeping move almost yielded a second for the visitors early in the second half with Sead Haksabanovic leading the charge and finding Vidigal, who fired over the top.
Rotherham were upping the pressure around the hour mark and a low corner from Ollie Rathbone caused trouble for the Stoke defence. The ball fell to Christ Tiehi at the back post but his effort landed on the roof of the net.
The visiting side seemed content to keep hold of the ball and their solitary goal lead.
It was a dangerous game to play and the Millers tried to threaten their lead, with the introduction of big striker Tom Eaves giving them a more direct option.
New Stoke signing Luke Cundle – who was on loan at Schumacher’s former club Plymouth for the first half of the season – got in a tangle when attempting to prod past Johansson from Vidigal’s pass.
Rotherham had six minutes of added on time to try and grab an equaliser and reliable substitute Georgie Kelly was brought on to spearhead their attacks.
Stoke had a big chance to put the game to bed moments later when Vidigal found space in the box but his shot was palmed out by Johansson and ran away from substitute Tyrese Campbell, who was lying in wait for a tap-in.
Vidigal caught Seb Revan in possession with the game’s last attack but a desperate challenge from Cohen Bramall denied him a clean strike on goal.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Real Madrid vs Al Hilal With the score at 10-0 against Auckland City, Manuel Neuer started doing warm-up exercises in the middle of the field... lol International Trophies It's been a year since Kylian Mbappé broke his nose at the Euros. We never got to see the mask everyone wanted to see "A competition without Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal & Bar...
Chelsea have kicked off their Club World Cup campaign, but behind the scenes there is still serious transfer work going on.While Enzo Maresca trains his players in the USA, the transfer team are getting to work on helping build his squad.Gittens still wants Chelsea – Chelsea still want GittensThe attempts to sign Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens before the tournament failed, but it's c...
Arsenal are in the mix to complete a surprise deal for former Manchester City player Aymeric Laporte, with a report detailing how much he will cost to sign from Al-Nassr this summer.Laporte first arrived in England in January 2018 when Man City broke their transfer record by paying Athletic Club £57million to sign him on a five-and-a-half-year contract. The centre-back went on to make 180 app...
Rafael Leao, Nico Williams, Bradley Barcola and Eberechi Eze are among Bayern Munich's potential targets after missing out on the signing of Bayer Leverkusen starlet Florian Wirtz, sources told ESPN.Wirtz, who is currently on holiday following the UEFA Nations League finals, is set to soon complete his transfer to Liverpool, after ESPN reported last week that the Premier League champions had agree...
Man Utd and Napoli show interest in Hudson-OdoiCallum Hudson-Odoi, who joined Nottingham Forest from Chelsea in 2023, has only a year left in his existing deal. The winger had an impressive outing in the 2024-25 campaign and played a key role in the club securing a European place after 30 years away from continental competition. The 24-year-old scored five goals and provided three assists in 36 ga...
Pablo Marin of Spain and Issa Doumbia of Italy battle for the ballSpain and Italy played out a 1-1 draw in their final group game of the UEFA European U21 Championship, ensuring both nations completed it without defeat (W2, D1).With passage to the quarter-finals already sealed for both nations, this matchup was purely a fight for top spot, and it was the Spaniards who edged proceedings in the earl...
Thomas Frank was chosen among 30 candidates for the Tottenham jobTottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham has revealed that Thomas Frank was chosen among more than 30 other candidates to succeed Ange Postecoglou as manager.Tottenham chose Thomas Frank as their new head coach last week, and were made to pay London rivals Brentford 310million in the process as Franks appointment was published only days after...
Saudi clubs prepare huge bids for Tottenham captain KaneTottenham captain Son Heung-min has attracted interest from three Saudi Pro League clubs ahead of a potential summer move.The South Korea international has just 12 months remaining on his current Spurs deal and has been linked with a move away, with the North London club reportedly open to selling him this summer to cash in on the experienced...
And just like that, the transfer window is closed.Now depending on where you've been for the past few weeks, you might be asking yourself two questions:1. Is that a "Sex and the City" reference? 2. Wait, what?To the first question: Of course it is. Bring back Samantha.And to the second: With the Club World Cup kicking off this past weekend and set to stretch all the way through mid-July, FIFA gave...
LaLiga president Tebas: Barcelona cannot register Garcia - for nowLaLiga president Javier Tebas has warned Barcelona must sell to register Joan Garcia.Barca have agreed to pay goalkeeper Garcia's €25m buyout clause in his Espanyol contract.However, Tebas insists the Blaugrana do not have room in their registered budget to sign Garcia at this stage.He said, "We haven't even set dates yet, but...
- 1 DONE DEAL: Marseille confirm CJ Egan-Riley signing from Burnley
- 2 Chloe Kelly enjoys sun-kissed holiday as Arsenal star rests before Euro 2025
- 3 Jack Grealish set to leave Man City this summer
- 4 Man Utd make decision on replacing Andre Onana with Emi Martinez this summer
- 5 PSG vs Atletico Madrid Prediction 16 June 2025
- 6 Laura Woods gives update on post-pregnancy body
- 7 Real Madrid eye a trio of targets
- 8 Maddison and Wag announce they're expecting twins AGAIN
- 9 'If you want to understand, it's really obvious' – USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino responds to Christian Pulisic, eager to move past off-field drama
- 10 Tottenham make 'mega £70m bid for Bryan Mbeumo' as Man Utd fear hijack