Alex Neil expressed his delight at Stoke’s home comforts as they defeated Watford 1-0.
New hero Andre Vidigal starred again as he notched his fourth goal in as many games since a summer move from Maritimo.
The Portuguese winger – who turned 25 in midweek – fired in a second-half winner with an emphatic strike on the volley.
And, in the process, The Potters secured successive league victories at home for the first time since April 2022, while they also beat West Brom in the cup.
“We’ve now won three games on the bounce at home and I think that’s vitally important to get our fans onside and backing us,” Neil said.
“You can see that connection starting to happen because the fans can see that the players left everything on the pitch so I’m really pleased.
“Watford are a really good side and they’ll be at the top end of the division for me so we knew it was going to be tough.
“In the main, we contained them really well, defensively we were sound and we got a goal that changed the dynamic of the game.
“You could see today that we were good in both boxes in terms of that final strike to get a goal and when we needed Travers at the other end.”
Neil also praised the in-form Vidigal, who continues to impress on English soil.
“The biggest thing about Andre is that he’s equally comfortable playing off the left, off the right or as a centre forward.
“He’s always going to get chances, he’s always looked a threat and he actually could’ve had more with the chances he’s had.
“He’s got that unbelievable knack of landing in the right position and getting strikes away and he just wants to score.
“He said to me at half-time, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to score!’ and then he did so fair play to him.”
Meanwhile, Watford’s unbeaten league start under new boss Valerien Ismael comes to an end.
Substitute Yaser Asprilla spurned two glorious opportunities to open the scoring and then level late on, but the Colombia international failed to convert.
“Our performance in the first half was not good enough and we didn’t stick to our gameplan,” Ismael admitted.
“We created chances but it wasn’t enough and we weren’t present in the basics.
“If you are not having a good day, at least make sure you get the basics right and we didn’t do that.
“That’s what I said at half-time and in the second half we came out much better, but we conceded a goal in our best period of the game.
“We created a lot of chances after that so at least we saw our identity, but it’s a journey in this division.
“The players need to learn that the Championship is ruthless and every game you’ve got to be on it and if you think it is going to be easy you will be punished like today.
“We will learn from the game and make sure from the beginning we are ready to compete, especially in away games.
“You can lose games, I don’t mind, but at least I want to see the identity and the mentality in the players, and I missed it in the first half.
“What we deserve is the criticism that we didn’t perform for 90 minutes.”
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory
Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.
Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.
Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.
Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.
Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.
Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Total dominance
Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.
Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.
Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10.
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