David Raya shouldered the praise for his late save in the win at Stoke City in what he described as a ‘mental’ ending to the game.

Rovers were 3-0 up going in to the final 10 minutes but soon saw that lead slip to 3-2 after goals from Saido Berahino and Tom Ince within the space of a minute.

Raya then kept out a Peter Crouch header from inside the six yard box with his shoulder, before Berahino hit the bar with a 93rd minute penalty as Rovers held out for three points.

And the Spaniard felt that if Crouch’s header, moments after Ince made it 3-2, had found the back of the net, then Rovers may have gone on to lose the game.

“It was mental,” he said of the finish at the bet365 Stadium.

“I saw the cross go in to the area, it was a difficult one to deal with, and as soon as I turned around the ball hit me on the shoulder and I was pleased to keep it out.

“If that had gone in then we may have even ended up losing the game.

“We didn’t do ourselves any favours and should have seen the game out.

“But different teams provide different challenges and if a team gets on top of you and get a goal then that will give them a belief to get another.

“We have to keep that momentum away from them, and the pleasing thing was getting the three points.”

The win was Rovers’ third of the season and means they have taken five points from games against Aston Villa, Derby and Stoke within the space of seven days.

That could have been seven were it for a last minute equaliser by Villa at Ewood Park on September 15.

While the win at Stoke was only secured after a nervy finish, Raya felt the performance merited the result, adding: “Everyone is happy that we got the three points in the end against Stoke.

“It was a really tough place to go to. They showed in the last 20 minutes when they got on top that they could have got a point.

“I think apart from the last 20 minutes, the first 70 we dominated the game and played, I think, the best we have this season and probably under the manager.

“It was a difficult game in the end but we got the three points which was the most important thing.

“We could have got the three points against Villa, but conceded in the last minute, and are happy to get five from three difficult games.”