What is it about playing Stoke away from home?
Nigel Pearson's Bristol City made it five victories in a row in the Potteries, ending Alex Neil's run of good form against the Robins in the process.
After 45 minutes, it seemed as though the Stoke boss would extend his run of form against City having only lost one in his last eight contests but the visitors pulled their fingers out in the second half to pull off a memorable and deserved victory.
It was a game of two firsts with Zak Vyner grabbing his first of the season from Sam Bell's cross on the left touchline. Then five minutes before the full-time whistle, Andi Weimann sparked an attack by pinching the ball from Ben Pearson, slipping in Nahki Wells who allowed Anis Mehmeti to grab his first in City colours.
Over 1,100 travelling fans were clambering over each other in the away end making their trip up north entirely worth it. Coincidentally, there was just one minute separating Mehmeti's goal this season compared to Jay Dasilva's late winner 12 months ago.
Here's the verdict as City earn the points in the first of their Easter double-header.
The game changer
Nigel Pearson didn't mince his words in his post-match press conference. He described the first 20 minutes as "awful" and it's difficult to argue with that.
City were sloppy in possession, slow to the second ball and were instantly on the back foot. Stoke dictated the play, winning the midfield battle with Matty James and Omar Taylor-Clarke overrun.
Tommy Conway was also being forced to drop back and do his defensive duties while the two centre-backs Zak Vyner and Cam Pring were having little success in possession. The game plan looked clear, they wanted to free Sam Bell early but the direct passes were bread and butter for the Stoke centre-backs who were able to recycle the ball and get Stoke pushing forward again.
That was until Taylor-Clarke came off injured in the 21st minute with a calf issue. While he was receiving treatment, City were able to regroup in front of the away dugout, listening intently to Pearson's instructions while Andy King stripped and prepared himself to come on.
It was the change that altered the momentum of the game. While there's no criticism directed at Taylor-Clarke, King's experience added a calmness on the ball and City found their stride, missing two glorious chances through Wells and Weimann.
City were still second best on the whole in that first half, but there was certainly a marked improvement while King's organisation in the second period alongside Matty James proved key in allowing the visitors to put the hosts under pressure.
They provided more protection in front of the defence, keeping Will Smallbone quiet which allowed the centre-backs more time to get on the ball and City building from the back.
While the change was unexpected and unfortunate for Taylor-Clarke, it certainly helped City settle into the game.
Harry Cornick in the groove
It's fair to say he's had some teething issues since signing for City but over the last two substitute appearances, he's starting to show that he's settling into life with the club and building a rapport with his team-mates.
The plan was always for Conway to play 45 minutes and playing as the No10, it was intriguing to see which way Pearson would go with both Cornick and Anis Mehmeti starting on the bench.
Perhaps, having fallen a goal behind, it was somewhat of a surprise to see Cornick get the nod given Mehmeti's ability to be a matchwinner but it allowed Weimann to move into his favoured role behind Nahki Wells with the former Luton man moving out to the right.
Just as he did against Reading, including almost finding a winner right at the end, Cornick proved effective on his introduction. Nothing spectacular but there are glimpses there that he is starting to gain an understanding with his fellow forwards.
His work-rate is unquestionable but he provided an outlet, which may have gone unnoticed by some. According to WhoScored, he won seven offensive aerial duels, three ahead of Stoke's Josh Laurent in second. He made 14 passes, 10 of those accurate - compare that to Weimann in the first half who made five passes, two which were accurate.
Pearson's comments on his qualities were really interesting after the game, saying: "Harry can sometimes look untidy but he's a nightmare to play against.
"We say it all the time. Things happen when he goes on and I thought Nahki worked really hard today too.
"I'm still talking about the forwards who have played their part today, they all had times in the games where they caused them problems. It's positive we have those type of options."
He may not be a prolific scorer but patience could be a virtue with Cornick.
A pressure reliever
During Pearson's press conference on Wednesday, he touched upon Mehmeti and the pressure he has put on himself to score his first goal. It felt as though it would be a matter of time, given before yesterday, he was averaging more shots per 90 minutes (3.7) than any other regular starter Wells (2.5).
Capable of the spectacular, Mehmeti's first for the club won't be his finest but it will certainly be one of the most memorable he's scored in front of those travelling supporters.
His goal must have felt like a major weight off the shoulders, latching onto Wells' square ball. Pearson mentioned it in his post-match interview how he has been "punishing himself" for not scoring in his first 10 games but he can now use that as a springboard to kick-start his career at the club.
He may have to remain patient for his next start given the performance of Bell, but Mehmeti will feel he can go out and play without the added pressure which could settle him down. "I think not starting today helped him, I don't mean that trying to be clever," Pearson said. "He's been putting himself under a lot of pressure too because I don't need to be critical of him because he's so critical of himself.
"He's one of those players who is impatient for success and wants to do well for the team. He's a very likeable lad and is very ambitious so to come off the bench and have that type of chance to score his first goal, is one in which has taken a lot of stress away from him because he was punishing himself."
Relief and progress
It's been a rocky run of results for City, partly down to form and partly down to the sheer number of injuries among the squad which have only worsened over the last few weeks.
City came into the contest on the back of one win in their last six and faced the danger of underdoing that hard work which saw them go 11 games undefeated after Christmas. They also hadn't scored away from home in their last four matches, threatening to match the six-game streak set back in March 2012.
On top of that, City had only scored twice in one of their last 11 matches, although Pearson remained level-headed when asked about the goalscoring issues, reiterating the message that he wasn't overly concerned because his side were still creating chances.
Given the run of fixtures approaching, it was important City got themselves back to winning ways sooner rather than later to ease that creeping pressure. Games against Middlesbrough, Burnley, Sheffield United and Watford are still on the calendar while Rotherham and QPR could be fighting for their lives at the bottom.
With City sitting safely in mid-table with little to play for on paper, they showed character and resilience to turn in a second-half performance - proving that Pearson won't have any of his players resting on their laurels for the run-in.
It's all about progress heading towards the summer and into next season and the response to going a goal down emphasises that progress is being made - whether it's at a fast enough rate or not will largely be down to interpretation.
But City now host Middlesbrough eight points better off than at this stage last season and pushing for a top-half finish.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
READ NEXT
