Sorensen praises Stoke defence

Thomas Sorensen hailed his side’s performance after they ended a run of four Premier League defeats against Blackburn Rovers.

Goals from Rory Delap, Glenn Whelan and Peter Crouch gave the Potters three vital points, and the importance of the result was not lost on the Dane, who had won back the goalkeeping jersey from Asmir Begovic.

“It was a must win game, I think, today, with the league table and the recent run of form that we’ve had… (It was) a fantastic win, very important to get back to winning ways, get some points and start climbing up the table again,” Sorensen said.

An assured defensive display was the key to City’s success, and the goalkeeper praised his defence despite the late pressure.

“We (wanted) to keep it tight, and I thought we did,” Sorensen said.

“A little bit of a lack of concentration at the end but overall we defended well and knew against Blackburn with their long balls and everything else that we needed to be solid and keep a high line and we did that.”

Stoke had kept only two clean sheets in their previous 15 domestic fixtures, and Sorensen admitted that he was disappointed not to have been able to shut out their relegation-threatened opponents.

“Obviously I would have liked to have kept a clean sheet, of course. It was a good strike from the lad but maybe he had too much space.”

Team-mate Rory Delap also felt there was room for improvement.

“I never felt we were in trouble… but I still don’t think we created enough going forward,” Delap said.

While Stoke’s form in the Premier League has fluctuated, they have performed impressively in Europe and need a draw from their group game against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday to advance to the knockout stage of the Europa League.

However, Sorensen is adamant they will go for victory against the Ukrainians.

“We are through if we get a point but again the three points will guarantee us first place and maybe, on paper, an easier draw in the next round,” Sorensen said.

“We are at home and we are going out to win for sure.”