Stoke City eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup courtesy of a 4-1 victory over a spirited Rochdale at Spotland this evening.
Bojan Krkic opened the scoring after less than four minutes with a spectacular volley, while Stephen Ireland added a second for the Premier League side shortly after the interval.
Victor Moses looked to have sealed the win with a superb third goal just past the hour, but Rhys Bennett gave his side a glimmer of hope by firing home from close range.
There was to be no memorable comeback, however, as Jonathan Walters capped off the scoring with virtually the last kick of the game, setting up a meeting with Blackburn Rovers in the next round.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the last of the initial fourth-round FA Cup ties as Rochdale host Stoke hoping to pull off an upset and provide a fitting finish to a remarkable weekend. It is the first time these two sides have ever met in the FA Cup, and we should have an intriguing 90 minutes ahead of us. Let's start with a look at the two teams...
ROCHDALE STARTING XI: Lillis; Rafferty, Eastham, Lancashire, Tanser; Bennett; Henderson, Dawson, Camps, Vincenti; Done
ROCHDALE SUBS: Diba, Andrew, Noble-Lazarus, Allen, Rose, Logan, Bunney
STOKE STARTING XI: Butland; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Wilson; Nzonzi, Whelan; Arnautovic, Bojan, Moses; Walters
STOKE SUBS: Sorensen, Muniesa, Ireland, Adam, Cameron, Sidwell, Crouch
What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, it is an unchanged side from the home side following their 4-1 triumph over Crawley Town last Saturday, with Vincenti having overcome a knee injury in time to start the match. He was the player who scored the only goal of the game against Nottingham Forest, while Tanser, Henderson and Andrew, who starts on the bench, are also in good scoring form having found the net against Crawley.
As for Stoke, they make just two changes in a strong side named by Mark Hughes. Ryan Shawcross returns to the side following a groin injury, while Walters has also passed a late fitness test having had trouble with a back injury since the win over Leicester City last weekend. Elsewhere, there are starts once again for Bojan, Moses and Arnautovic as they look to provide Walters with the service to fire the Potters into the fifth round.
The draw for the fifth round has, incidentally, just been made, and the winners of this tie will be rewarded with an away match against Blackburn Rovers. It may not have been the Hollywood tie Rochdale would have dreamed of, but should they overcome Stoke this evening then they will fancy their chances of doing the same to Blackburn and reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
There is plenty of incentive for Dale, then, but do they stand a chance of shocking their visitors tonight? Well, they certainly come into the match in good form having won their last three games in all competitions, including that comfortable 4-1 success over Crawley last time out. Looking even further back, they have lost just two of their last nine outings in all competitions, winning five of them.
That form has helped Keith Hill's side to sustain a playoff challenge in League One this season, and Rochdale are currently well placed in fifth position. They are only one point clear of seventh and 10 behind fourth, but they also boast a game in hand over some of the teams around them in the table, so should be more comfortable in the top six if they win that.
This is already Rochdale's sixth FA Cup tie of the season having needed replays to get through the opening two rounds. They eventually overcame the challenges of Northampton and Aldershot, setting up a showdown with Nottingham Forest in the third round. Vincenti's penalty was enough to shock Stuart Pearce's side and put tonight's hosts in the fourth round for the second consecutive season - the first time in the club's history that they have achieved that feat.
Things have not exactly been ideal for them in the build-up to this match, however, as they have been forced to train in a local indoor facility due to there being snow on the Spotland pitch. Indeed, fans have even been called in to help clear the pitch of snow and make this match playable. On top of that, manager Keith Hill has been suffering from a virus this week and was only able to take the team on Friday.
By contrast, Stoke have spent the week warm-weather training in Dubai in the build-up to this one, so a cold night in Rochdale could take them by surprise tonight. They flew back on Friday and will be wary of Manchester City's plight following a similar trip to Abu Dhabi. Shortly after the Premier League champions arrived back on English soil, they were dumped out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough.
The visitors, of course, enter this match as heavy favourites to progress and, in truth, it is hard to see a team like Stoke falling foul to an upset. While they may not have the quality of a Chelsea or a Manchester City, it is unlikely that they will succumb to the physical approach that often works for lower-league teams against big sides. Stoke are the type of team that will relish this challenge tonight and Hughes will make sure that there is no complacency whatsoever amongst his players.
The Potters may see themselves as having a real chance to go all the way to Wembley this season following the exits of most of the big boys. Arsenal are among the favourites now but, should Stoke draw them at the Britannia then they will fancy their chances of winning that one. They did, of course, reach the final in 2011, losing to Manchester City, but this seems to be as good a chance as any of picking up a rare piece of silverware.
Stoke had a bit of a scare in the previous round, though, falling behind to non-league Wrexham before three late goals spared their blushes. Arnautovic and Ireland (2) scored in the last 10 minutes to seal a 3-1 victory after it looked like the Potters may become the biggest giant-killing of the third round. In the league, Stoke come into this match off the back of a decent 1-0 win away to struggling Leicester, with Bojan Krkic getting the only goal of the game at the King Power Stadium.
PREDICTION: We're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff here, which means that it is about time I made a prediction! In truth, I can't see an upset happening here tonight. Rochdale will give it everything, but Stoke can stand up to the physical test and have the likes of Bojan and Arnautovic who can be match winners. I'm going to go for a 2-0 away victory.
KICKOFF: Stoke get us underway as they look to avoid an upset at Spotland. Rochdale, incidentally, won the last time these two met on penalties, triumphing 4-2 in the shootout after a 2-2 draw in the League Cup.
Positive starts from the hosts, as you would expect in front of a raucous crowd here. They have the first shooting opportunity, but the volley is scuffed and put behind for a corner, which comes to nothing.
GOAL! Rochdale 0-1 Stoke (Bojan)
There is your Premier League quality! Incredible hit from Bojan to break the deadlock and give Stoke a perfect start to this match. A nothing long ball forward is only nodded clear as far as the Spaniard on the edge of the box, and he fires a beauty of a first-time volley past a helpless Lillis. What a goal that is.
Stoke could not have wished for a better way to start this match. That early goal has got the large contingent of away fans singing, and it is them making all the noise right now. It will also help to settle any nerves for the visiting players on the field.
Decent spell of possession for the home side as they look to settle themselves following that nightmare start. Still Stoke are looking dangerous when they go forward, though.
Good play from Arnautovic as he knocks a pass inside and then sprints as fast as he can down the right looking for the return ball. He gets it, but his delivery is disappointing in the end as a low cross is comfortably dealt with.
The Stoke fans are making a really good noise in this match. You'd think that the Potters were the home side on the basis of crowd volume alone, with that early goal taking a bit of sting out of the Rochdale fans.
Rochdale launch a promising attack, coming forward in numbers and working the ball over to the right. However, when they approach the Stoke area they are crowded out and the visitors are easily able to deal with the danger.
It must be said that Bojan has looked a class apart from these Rochdale players so far. They are struggling to shackle him at the moment, and the Spaniard is beginning to enjoy himself.
SHOT! N'Zonzi looks to replicate Bojan's earlier goal, letting the ball run across his body from a throw before firing a volley in from around 25 yards. However, he doesn't catch it properly and it bounces wide of the target.
SHOT! And now it's Dawson's turn to have a go. This time it is even further out as the ball sits up nicely for the midfielder, but his half volley is a long way off target.
SHOT! Really positive play from Henderson as he looks to provide the equaliser for his side. He takes the ball off Dawson and drives forward before hitting an early shot that ends up a few yards wide of the goal.
Very nearly a chance for Rochdale as they continue to push forward. The ball is played up towards Done, and Shawcross loses track of it when he looked to have the situation under control. It hits the defender and almost falls for Done, but Shawcross reacts in time to get a foot in and clean up the danger.
This has been a very impressive response from Rochdale since going behind. They have played with a positive attitude, always looking to get on the front foot and have a real go at this Stoke defence.
Stoke are showing less of a threat going forward as well right now. The Potters looked dangerous the first few times they entered the Rochdale final third, but now the defence is beginning to deal with the visiting attack fairly comfortably.
Tempers flare here as Moses goes down under a heavy challenge from Vincenti, but Rochdale refuse to kick the ball out. When Stoke eventually win it back, Bojan squares up to Vincenti and a number of players wade into the argument. It's all handbags, though, nothing too serious.
YELLOW CARD! Martin Atkinson chooses to show a yellow card to Vincenti, apparently for the aftermath rather than the initial tackle.
YELLOW CARD! There is also a card for Bojan, who was the one who squared up to Vincenti. After all that, it will be a free kick to the hosts, which comes to nothing.
Moments after that flare-up Bojan advances into the area and goes down with a couple of defenders close by. There was no contact, but the damage seemed to be done while Bojan was running. It was not a dive, and Bojan seems to be in a bit of pain right now.
It didn't look too good at all for Bojan initially, but Mark Hughes will be happy to see him back on his feet and able to walk off. He won't be risked unnecessarily, though, and Stoke will make a change here.
STOKE SUB: There is the change, with Bojan limping off to be replaced by Stephen Ireland, who scored twice in the last round of course.
CHANCE! Good opening for the hosts as a corner arrives low towards the front post. Eastham dummies it and lets it run through to Bennett, who can't connect properly and scuffs his effort wide of the mark.
CHANCE! Another chance for the hosts! This time it comes from a diagonal ball across to Henderson, who knocks it down into the path of Dawson. He bursts past one into the box, but can't squeeze the ball past Butland, who comes flying out to thwart the midfielder.
YELLOW CARD! Wilson becomes the third player in the book for kicking Dawson in the chest when attempting to clear the ball.
CHANCE! Oh my word, what a chance this is for Rochdale! Bennett does brilliantly in defence to win the ball and give it to Camps, who threads a beauty of a through-ball for Done to race on to. The striker is clean through with only the keeper to beat, but he pokes his effort wide. That was the best chance of the match so far!
Rochdale have had 71% of the ball in the last five minutes, and there is no doubt that they are on top right now. They have been superb since falling behind and deserve to be level on the balance of this opening 41 minutes.
CHANCE! Another chance for the hosts! The ball is slid inside Bardsley by Henderson for Done to race on to, and this time he tries to dink the ball over a sprawling Butland. It squirms wide of the near post after Butland got a hand to the ball, but the officials wrongly award a goal kick.
SAVE! Yet another sight of goal for Rochdale and Dawson, Bennett and Camps all combine to set up a shooting chance. The latter is the man who has the effort, but it is a tame strike from 25 yards that rolls into the arms of Butland.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Rochdale 0-1 Stoke City
The referee brings an end to the first half, and what an entertaining 45 minutes it was. Stoke go into the break with a narrow 1-0 lead, but they will know that they have ridden their luck at times, Rochdale have created the better chances, and only one moment of Premier League class separates the sides right now. It is still up for grabs in the second half, though.
The goal came after less than four minutes, and it was Bojan who got it with a beauty of a volley from the edge of the box. A long ball forward from Butland didn't look like causing any problems, but the clearing header only went as far as Bojan on the edge of the box. The Spaniard watched it the whole way and unleashed a magnificent first-time left-footed volley past a helpless Lillis in the Rochdale goal.
That is really the only time that Stoke have threatened, however, with Rochdale enjoying the better of things from that point on. The hosts responded really well and should have levelled things up when Camps slid a nice ball through for Done, but the striker could only poke it wide with only Butland to beat. It really was a golden opportunity for the home side.
Done has also had another decent opening when he was played in down the left channel and tried to lift his finish over Butland, only for the keeper to get a touch and prevent it from finding the back of the net. It wasn't quite as clear a chance as the previous one, which arrived just four minutes before, but it was still a very good opening for the Rochdale top scorer.
Dawson and Bennett have also had a couple of decent sights of goal, with the former bursting into the area past a defender only to be thwarted by a brave piece of goalkeeping from Butland. Bennett, meanwhile, failed to properly connect with a low corner as it arrived to him inside the box, scuffing his effort wide of the far post.
It really has been an impressive display from Dale so far, and they deserve to be at least level. They lead in all the major statistics, such as possession and shots on goal, but they haven't been able to find that killer touch that Bojan provided for the hosts. If they can find that in the second half then there is no reason why they can't pull off a shock here.
There was an injury blow for Stoke in the first half as Bojan went off having gone down without any contact from a defender. It looked to be a worrying one for the Spaniard, and Hughes will hope that his star player is not out for too long.
KICKOFF: Rochdale get us back underway, and the first thing to tell you is that Stoke have made a change at the break, bringing on Steve Sidwell for N'Zonzi. Stoke have just one sub remaining now.
Positive start once again to the second half from the hosts, immediately getting on the front foot and pinning Stoke deep into their own half.
CLOSE! Stoke come forward and look for a spectacular second through the unlikely form of Wilson. He unleashing a powerful effort from 30 yards that flies just past the post with Lillis a mere spectator.
GOAL! Rochdale 0-2 Stoke (Stephen Ireland)
What a huge goal that could prove to be in this tie. A long ball forward is not dealt with by Rochdale, who allow Moses to control it inside the penalty area. The winger squeezes a low ball in across the face of goal, and Ireland is there to knock it home, coming off the bench to score just as he did in the last round.
Can Rochdale respond to that setback? They certainly don't deserve to be behind in this match but simply need to start showing a cutting edge in the final third if they stand any chance of recovering from this deficit. That second goal could well take the wind out of their sails.
ROCHDALE SUB: The hosts make their first change of match as Done walks off fairly gingerly to be replaced by Calvin Andrew. The departing player seems to have picked up an ankle injury there.
That second goal will do wonders for Stoke in the latter stages of this game, if they can hold on to their advantage. They came under huge pressure in the first half, but Ireland's strike gives them a cushion and should really settle their nerves.
ROCHDALE SUB: Another Rochdale sub as Vincenti makes way and is replaced by Reuben Noble-Lazarus. Can he spark a comeback?
CHANCE! Almost a third goal for Stoke as Arnautovic swings a free kick towards the near post, where Walters has got in front of his man. He glances a header on, but it bounces a few yards wide of the mark.
Nervy moment for Lillis as he sees a clearance blocked by Ireland, who chased it down really well. He gets away with it, however, with the ball bouncing in a safe place and being collected by the keeper.
GOAL! Rochdale 0-3 Stoke (Victor Moses)
Bojan may have a contender for goal of the game here! Moses picks the ball up on the left and drives at Rafferty, beating his full-back far too easily. He reaches the byline before cutting back and beating his man again, then proceeds to curl a superb effort into the top corner from an almost impossible angle. That is surely game over now.
ROCHDALE SUB: The hosts make their third and final change of the match as Jamie Allen comes on for Camps.
This has been such a disappointing second half for the hosts. They were so impressive before the break but have been put in their place a little so far in the second 45 minutes. It has been a much improved display from Stoke since the interval.
Stoke look destined for an away trip to Blackburn in the fifth round, and it was Bojan's belter that started it all off. Here is the Spaniard connecting with his wonderful volley:
Stoke almost through for a fourth as Arnautovic plays a one-two with Walters before racing through on goal. However, his touch just lets him down and the ball runs through to Lillis.
There just doesn't seem to be a way through for Rochdale any more. Stoke have tightened up at the back and, without the movement of Done to trouble them, they are looking very comfortable.
CLOSE! Stoke should have a fourth! Walters races clean through on goal, but his first attempt pass inside is cut out. The ball arrives back to the striker, but this time ignores an unmarked Moses and pokes an effort of his own towards the far corner, only to see it bobble a couple of yards wide.
YELLOW CARD! Sidwell goes into the book for a push from behind on Dawson. The referee clearly saw that as a cynical one, but a booking is a little harsh.
STOKE SUB: Stoke make their third and final change of the match as Charlie Adam comes on in place of Moses.
SHOT! Noble-Lazarus looks to join the list of wonder goals tonight, but his effort from range flies over the top. The ball was teed up for the sub from a free kick around 30 yards from goal and he hit it well enough, but it was always too high.
YELLOW CARD! Bardsley is the latest name in the book for a heavy challenge on Tanser, giving Rochdale a free kick in a good crossing position...
GOAL! Rochdale 1-3 Stoke (Rhys Bennett)
Surely not?! The ball arrives in the middle and as Sidwell looks to clear it, Bennett nips in and wins the ball. He then plants an effort past Butland from close range to give Rochdale just a glimmer of hope. A second goal in the next five minutes or so would make things very interesting.
The goal does seem to have re-energised Rochdale, but this would be a remarkable comeback if they can pull it off. Stoke won't be panicking just yet, but the belief around Spotland is just beginning to edge upwards.
Stoke have done a decent job of quelling Rochdale's momentum, which is exactly what was required following that goal for the hosts. Good game management from the Premier League side.
Rochdale are still chasing everything down and frantically trying to get the ball forward for a second goal. However, time is running out and you feel that they need one in the next couple of minutes if they are to stand any chance of completing the comeback.
Stoke are just keeping the ball right now, preventing Rochdale from stringing a few passes together and getting the crowd behind them again. Really professional play from Mark Hughes's side, who look like seeing this one out now.
The visitors go looking for a fourth as Arnautovic receives the ball on the edge of the box and tries to fire an effort into the bottom corner. However, his effort takes a deflection and is easily saved by Lillis.
YELLOW CARD! Bennett is the latest name in the book for a challenge that was just a little mistimed.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
GOAL! Rochdale 1-4 Stoke (Jonathan Walters)
Stoke cap the victory off with a fourth goal as Arnautovic races on to a long wall over the top down the right before playing a good ball across the face of goal for Walters. The Stoke striker does the rest, knocking it home to make it 4-1 to the visitors.
FULL TIME: Rochdale 1-4 Stoke City
Stoke secure their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup courtesy of a 4-1 victory over Rochdale, but the League One side performed well and gave the Premier League outfit a real game, particularly in the first half. Indeed, Dale should have gone into the break with a lead having created the best chances, but Stoke's quality shone through in the end and they comfortably saw the game out in the second half.
The visitors opened the scoring after just four minutes when Bojan fired a spectacular volley in from the edge of the box. Rochdale squandered a number of chances before going into the break a goal down, but less than 10 minutes after the restart Stephen Ireland doubled Stoke's advantage. Moses then made it 3-0 with a fine goal of his own, but Bennett gave the hosts a glimmer of hope by reducing the deficit back to two. There was to be no comeback, however, as Stoke sealed the win with the last kick of the match through Walters.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Stoke set up an FA Cup fifth-round showdown with Blackburn Rovers courtesy of a 4-1 victory over Rochdale. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. We turn our attention back to the League Cup tomorrow, so make sure you join us for the semi-final second leg between Chelsea and Liverpool. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
