Three games in a row have found three different ways to frustrate Stoke City.
First was dominance unrewarded against Norwich, next came a brilliant finish that couldn't quite get over the line at Middlesbrough and then there was a controlled start at Blackburn that unravelled after a beautifully-taken goal had given Stoke a lead.
As Mark Robins rightly reiterated after the game, the Championship is relentless and this may have been a game too far at the end of three games in a week - with two away from home.
Perhaps it was mental fatigue rather than physical tiredness for a squad that again rotated with five changes made to the side which impressed in the north east, but as the match wore on, mistakes crept in.