Stoke 2 Blackburn 3: Saido Berahino misses last-minute penalty to spoil Potters incredible comeback
Saido Berahino smashed an injury-time penalty against the bar to spoil one of the most sensational comebacks of the season.
Sub Berahino scored one, made another and even won the spot kick after Darragh Leinhan barged into him at the end of a madcap finale.
But Berahino forgot how to write the last chapter in the fairy tale as he hit the woodwork, leaving Rovers to celebrate an away win that was their easiest three points until those crazy closing stages.
Tony Mowbray's men were cruising at 3-0 and the home fans howling when Peter Crouch came on for Benik Afobe. But along with fellow sub Berahino he turned the game.
Crouch nodded down for Berahino to pull one back in the 79th minute and the little striker burst into the box in the next attack and swept the ball back for hard-working Tom Ince to meet at the far post with the second.
Astonishingly Crouch hit the post with a header from Peter Etebo's cross a minute later in frantic scenes before the penalty drama.
Stoke boss Gary Rowett groaned: "I'm not being critical of Saido but when you pick up the ball you're responsible to find the net."
But then Rowett hit out at his back line in the current crisis and said: "I got booed for the Crouch change. I get the fans frustration, but it would be nice if they vented it at one of two defenders as well.
"We are defensively very soft. The team conceded 68 goals last season and 16 this season. Of those, including Blackburn's, we have made 14 elementary mistakes."
Rovers survived in the end but had not broken sweat until the late twist.
Most read in football
Mowbray said: "For 80 minutes it was as good as I've seen in my tenure. We had control of the game.
"The crowd have gone to anti to driving on their team, they were smelling blood. It is difficult to do anything from the sideline.
"It's hard to deal with a team playing with four up top, playing balls for a 6ft7in striker. If you look at Stoke's bench it's quite scary."
Rovers deserved their late break for a thoroughly professional performance.
Their first was simple, Richard Smallwood played a pass into Bradley Dack's run and the skillful forward rolled his shot in off the far post in the 26th minute.
Blackburn had to stay strong as the Potters huffed and puffed, but their endeavour was rewarded with a second out of the blue before the break.
Danny Graham beat the offside trap as he reacted first to a long ball from skipper Elliott Bennett and stoked his finish beyond exposed Jack Butland.
The home fans howled, the midweek win proving a false dawn, as their side once again slumped at this level.
Rowett sent on Berahino at half-time but that plan lasted less than a minute as Dack ran away from their slow back line.
A crafty pass inside found Harrison Reed in space and he slotted the ball between the legs of Butland to the disbelief of the away fans.
The Rovers support chanted 'you're getting sacked in the morning' at Rowett followed by a chorus of 'you're ****** ****' - a verdict that the Stoke punters joined in with.
Dack should have had a fourth when Graham played him in. Butland parried his first shot and he smacked the post from the rebound.