Lamine Cisse and Ben Wilmot were on target as 10-man Stoke extended their unbeaten Sky Bet Championship run to six games with a 2-1 win over Bolton at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. Mark Robins' in-form side played for 70 minutes without Maksym Talovierov after the defender's dismissal for bringing down Kyliane Dong. However, the Potters shrugged off the disadvantage to gain a first win in Bolton since October 1990, when 1966 World Cup hero Alan Ball was in charge.
Cisse fired the visitors in front in first-half stoppage time before Wilmot piled on the agony for Wanderers boss Steven Schumacher after 64 minutes. The Potters' fifth win in six games lifted them up to fourth while Bolton drop to 17th. The Trotters kicked off bidding for three successive Championship wins for the first time in 12 years, and they should have been in front after nine minutes.
Ethan Erhahon's defensive splitting pass sent Dong racing clear but the Augsburg loanee's shot was saved by Viktor Johansson's left leg. Stoke responded four minutes later when Wilmot fired into the side netting, but their bid to break a 10-game Bolton hoodoo appeared to plunge when Talovierov was red-carded by referee Thomas Kirk. The Ukrainian defender was adjudged to have denied Dong a goalscoring opportunity with a last-ditch tackle fractionally outside the penalty area.
Wales international Josh Sheehan fired the resulting free-kick narrowly wide and Wanderers went close again through Gaizka Larrazabal, but wasted a further chance to take the lead after 31 minutes. Ruben Rodrigues' right-wing cross was a beauty but striker Sam Dalby headed it down and over the bar from five yards. Stoke then took the lead against the run of play.
Ethan Galbraith supplied the assist and Cisse stayed onside to curl a low right-foot shot beyond Gavin Bazunu for his first goal of the campaign. They should have added a second goal eight minutes after the re-start. Again, Cisse was the dangerman, cutting inside and driving an effort against Bazunu's left upright.
Bazuna, playing for the first time since boycotting the Republic of Ireland's Nations League games with Israel, then saved substitute Luca Bambino's follow-up. However, the Potters' deservedly doubled their advantage when Jack McGlynn whipped in a free-kick from the Bolton left and Wilmot headed home powerfully in front of 4,600 City supporters. It could have been three two minutes later but Cisse's latest attempt was saved by Bazunu.
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