It was wholly unexpected, but Stoke City recorded a dominant success last weekend when head coach Alex Neil returned to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland.
The Potters ran out 5-1 victors over the Black Cats, with braces from Tyrese Campbell and Dwight Gayle helping them to a remarkable three points on Wearside.
Stoke's form has remained inconsistent throughout the season and they look destined for another mid-table finish, but they will be looking to gain some momentum before the end of the season, and are also wanting to record back-to-back league wins for just the second time in 2022-23.
They face a tough task though on Friday night as Blackburn Rovers make the short trip down the M6 to the Bet365 Stadium, with Jon Dahl Tomasson's side currently in a fantastic run of form.
Rovers have not lost since the middle of January in the Championship, with their unbeaten run in all competitions stretching to 11 matches with a one-goal victory over Sheffield United at Ewood Park last weekend.
Former EFL midfielder turned pundit David Prutton cannot split the two sides though going into their match, and he believes it will end up 2-2 in Staffordshire on Friday evening.
"That was some win for Stoke last Saturday," Prutton said on his Sky Sports predictions podcast.
"Alex Neil took his side back to an extremely unwelcoming Stadium of Light and romped to a 5-1 victory.
"It is too late for them to reach the play-offs, but it could give them some momentum heading into the rest of the season and beyond.
"Blackburn are in a great moment themselves.
"They have won four on the bounce and have an FA Cup quarter-final on the horizon.
"For now they can try and close the gap on Sheffield United, but I think it will just be a point on Friday night."
The Verdict
Stoke may now be finally finding their feet under Alex Neil, with January additions such as Ben Pearson being a big help to their squad and overall results have been better.
There's no real danger of them being relegated or reaching the play-offs now, so it should now be all about finding that balance going into the summer, where Alex Neil will get to fully remodel the squad in his vision.
They could also be a spoiler for the promotion race though as Blackburn are very much in the mix sitting in fourth spot, and they have been playing well even without their talisman Ben Brereton Diaz.
Such is the nature of the league though it it incredibly hard to call either side being the winner, but you just know both sides will be confident having been winners last weekend.