Another damaging home defeat to a relegation rival saw the Reds return to the foot of the Championship table and they are now the only side in the division to still be on single figure points.
It stretches the club's current winless run to 16 games in all competitions (D6 L10), their worst run since 1959 when they also went 16 games without victory (D3 L13)
Barnsley have conceded at least two goals now in 12 of their 16 league games this season and the 33 goals they have conceded this season is at least three more than anybody else in the Championship.
They have conceded at least two goals in four successive league matches for the second time this season, the first time such a run has occurred more than once in a campaign since 2007-2008 (1 run of 4 and 1 run of 6)
Barnsley are now winless in eight home league matches (D4 L4) for the first time since a club record run of 12 between November 2013 and March 2014 (D6 L6)
Adam Murray is the first Barnsley manager to fail to win any of his first five games in charge (D3 L2) since Paul Hart in March 2004 who did not find victory until his sixth match (D4 L1)
Barnsley have now won five of their last 47 Championship matches (D16 L26)
Barnsley have gone 10 games without a clean sheet for the first time since a run of 11 between February and April 2018.
This was the first league meeting between Barnsley and Stoke City since December 2007 with the Potters leaving Oakwell with three points for the first time since Boxing Day 1986 (They had failed to win any of past 10 visits)
Barnsley have won just one of their opening 16 league games of a season for the first time in their history.
This was only Stoke's fifth win in 31 away Championship games.
Barnsley conceded four goals at home for the first since November 2016 when they lost 5-2 to Nottingham Forest.
Home or away it is the second time they have conceded 4+ this season (also 5-1 at Preston) - the first time it has occured since 2016-2017 when they conceded 4+ on three league occasions (4-2 Ipswich, 4-2 Fulham, 5-2 Nottingham Forest)
There were 14,891 in attendance, the highest Oakwell crowd for a non Yorkshire derby since Sunderland were the visitors in March (18,282)
Barnsley have now scored twice at home in four matches which they have NOT won, the most in one season since 2016-2017 (also 4)
This was the first time Stoke have scored four goals in a game since December 2015 when they won 4-3 at Everton in the Premier League (prior to their trip to Oakwell they had gone four matches without scoring at all)
It is the first time Stoke have ever scored four times at Oakwell and only the second time ever overall, also doing so in a 4-0 win at the old Victoria Ground in April 1908.
Barnsley have conceded five goals from the penalty spot this season (all competitions)
For the fifth time this season Barnsley had the most ball possession in a match they lost (also v Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham, Luton and Nottingham Forest)
Stoke had nine shots on target, the most by an opponent at Oakwell since back in September 2014 when MK Dons also had nine in a 5-3 win for the visitors.
Barnsley Team:
40. Bradley Collins
5. Bambo Diaby
24. Aapo Halme
21. Toby Sibbick
4. Kenny Dougall
12. Dimitri Cavare
8. Cameron McGeehan
27. Alex Mowatt (C)
7. Jacob Brown
9. Cauley Woodrow
11. Conor Chaplin
Substitutes:
16. Luke Thomas (for Sibbick 45)
36. Mallik Wilks (for McGeehan 75)
19. Patrick Schmidt (for Chaplin 82)
Unused Substitutes:
1. Samuel Radlinger, 6. Mads Andersen, 22. Clark Oduor, 28. Elliot Simoes.
Stoke City Team:
1. Jack Butland
2. Thomas Edwards
6. Danny Batth
15. Bruno Martins Indi
3. Stephen Ward
4. Joe Allen (C)
38. Ryan Woods
22. Sam Clucas
7. Tom Ince
19. Lee Gregory
11. James McClean
Substitutions:
27. Papa Ndiaye (for Clucas 73)
18. Mame Biram Diouf (for Ince 82)
9. Sam Vokes (for Gregory 90)
Unused Substitutes:
12. Cameron Carter-Vickers, 25. Nick Powell, 26. Tyrese Campbell, 32. Adam Federici.
Stoke manager Michael O'Neill said:
"We needed to get a reaction with energy at the top end of the pitch and I felt we played players in the right positions today," O'Neill said.
"That obviously gives them confidence, but it was only a first step. In terms of how we play in that system, we'll get better.
"It was probably entertaining to watch, but it was a bit like a basketball game at times. We don't need to try and win 6-1 when we're already 4-1 ahead.
"We need to show a bit more composure."
Match Reports:
Official Website
BBC
Sky Sports
Sky Bet Championship results:
SATURDAY 9TH NOVEMBER 2019
Nottingham Forest (5th) 1-0 Derby County (16th)
Grabban 56
BARNSLEY (24th) 2-4 Stoke City (23rd)
Clucas 8
Gregory pen 30
McGeehan 47
Allen 64
Clucas 67
Schmidt 82
Birmingham City (13th) 0-1 Fulham (7th)
Mitrovic 52
Hull City (12th) 0-1 West Bromwich Albion (1st)
Livermore 28
Leeds United (3rd) 2-1 Blackburn Rovers (18th)
Bamford pen 30
Harrison 35
Williams 40
Millwall (15th) 2-1 Charlton Athletic (11th)
Hutchinson 6
Leko 51
Smith 90+1
Preston North End (2nd) 3-1 Huddersfield Town (19th)
Stockley 4
Browne 33
Gallagher pen 50
Bacuna 74
Queens Park Rangers (10th) 2-2 Middlesbrough (22nd)
Assombalonga 23
Wells 25
Howson og 44
Assombalonga 69
Reading (17th) 3-0 Luton Town (21st)
Morrison 22
Ejaria 30
McCleary 79
Sheffield Wednesday (8th) 2-2 Swansea City (4th)
Ayew 32
Forestieri 81
Fox 90+1
Wilmot 90+4
Wigan Athletic (20th) 0-3 Brentford (9th)
Mbeumo 5
Mokotjo 70
Dasilva 83
SUNDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2019
Cardiff City (14th) 0-1 Bristol City (6th)
Brownhill 67
Barnsley lie in 24th position in the Sky Bet Championship with 9 points from 16 games. We are 19 points outside the Play-Offs, 22 points outside the Automatic Promotion Places, 24 points outside First Place and 5 points inside the Relegation Zone.
Up to 11/11/19
Next Up:
On The Road:
Sky Bet Championship Matchday Seventeen: Blackburn Rovers v Barnsley, Saturday 23rd November 2019. Kick-Off: 3pm
At Oakwell:
Sky Bet Championship Matchday Nineteen: Barnsley v Hull City, Saturday 30th November 2019. Kick-Off: 3pm