Mark Hughes insisted that it was 'only a matter of time' before Stoke City striker Wilfried Bony found form but will no doubt be relieved with Monday's double against the Ivorian's former club Swansea City.
Stoke moved up to 12th in the table last night with the result and only goal difference is keeping them out of the top half of the table.
Earlier in the campaign, Hughes was forced to dismiss any speculation of unrest within the dressing room and last night's victory is their third win on the bounce and their fifth in a row without a defeat.
After the game, the former Manchester City and Blackburn manager praised the efforts of Bony and his work-rate over recent weeks.
"I'm pleased for Wilfried," he said. "I've said for a number of weeks that his general play has been good and that all he was lacking in his performances was a goal.
"Thankfully he's off and running and if my memory serves me right, I think he had a similar period when he first went to Swansea.
"Wilfried is a big character and a big personality around the place. There was some nonsense when he first came suggesting that he was a bad influence. I don't know where the hell that came from because it certainly wasn't the case.
"He's very popular within the group and you could see by the reaction when he scored that he was really really pleased. He had a little help from Joe [Allen] who has also had an outstanding start to the season for us.
"He hasn't scored for a couple of games but if he isn't scoring he's creating chances."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
