Mubana hat-trick helps Stoke thrash Bristol City
Second-placed Middlesbrough's big defeat to Watford allowed the chasing pack to edge closer, and Stoke City did so emphatically as it thumped fellow play-off hopeful Bristol City 5-1.
Divin Mubama starred for Mark Robins's team, scoring a hat-trick while also assisting Million Manhoef as the Potters raced into a three-goal lead after just 25 minutes.
Stoke increased its advantage two minutes after the restart through Junior Tchamadeu, before Mubama completed his treble with a fierce finish into the roof of the net.
Mark Sykes's 82nd-minute goal proved to be just a consolation for the Robins, who dropped to fifth place.
Stoke, meanwhile, is just a point adrift of the automatic promotion spots.
"We've had probably one of the best performances at home since I came in," Robins said after praising his side's excellent performance.
"We talk about the incremental improvements, and you could see today there was a vast improvement, not just incremental.
"The thing for us is to not worry about having to repeat that, because we've seen lots and lots of really good repetitive things in games where we've been really good and smart. Today we were smarter than before."
Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber felt the result was perhaps the reality check his side needed.
"This is the Championship and I think the Championship shows us, and especially Stoke City today showed us, a face where we had a lot of problems," he said.
"It's a really good learning point and a really good realisation of what's going on in this league when you're not on the highest level.
"We were not sharp enough for this level and the good thing is we have to learn, we have to reflect, and we have to be very honest with ourselves."
