Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini felt Mario Balotelli repaid his faith after starting him for their FA Cup final triumph.
Balotelli was floored by a Robert Huth elbow in the first half but didn't lose his cool, much to the delight of the boss.
Mancini said: "Balotelli played very well. This trophy will be important for him because it can help him improve as a man, as a player. It was difficult for Mario. I said to him before the game that if he was nervous we would play him for 50 minutes and then take him off the pitch.
"He is a big talent. He can't lose that big talent.
"And he played well against a Stoke team who are very strong. It was very difficult to beat them even though we had a lot of chances to score."
