A third goal in four Premier League games for Leonardo Ulloa secured Leicester City's first victory of the season at Stoke.
The Argentinian produced a superb finish after latching on to Paul Konchesky's cross just after the hour-mark to slide the ball past Asmir Begovic.
The resounding emotion at the end of the game could not have been more starkly contrasted from the last time City travelled to the Britannia Stadium in the league, in 2008, when they were relegated into League One for the first time in the club's history.
Six years later, though, and City's victory puts them into the top half of the Premier League.
Such a result had not looked possible after a first half that saw Stoke completely dominate and, at the break, it looked like the very best City could hope for was to hold on for a point.
City had struggled to find the rhythm and tempo that they have exuded in abundance in their opening three games, and often found themselves camped inside their own half.
But the hosts, overrunning City in midfield, were unable to make their dominance pay, as Peter Crouch headed the best chance of the half over the bar.
In fact, most of Stoke's chances fell to the former England international, who fired wide from range on a number of occasions.
But the game changed markedly at the interval when Pearson brought on Danny Drinkwater and former Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso.
Before referee Michael Oliver had even blown his whistle to restart the game, the former Argentina international was martialling and organising his team-mates around him.
No sooner had the second half got under way than the 34-year-old was showing the class that has seen him win more trophies than any other Argentinian footballer in history.
He showed superb vision to spot the run of his countryman and duly lofted a perfectly-weighted ball into Ulloa's path.
It was to be City's £8million record signing who would steal the headlines once again, though, as he started, and finished, a fine move to give his side the lead.
Ulloa received the ball on the counter attack, finding Drinkwater, who in turn threaded it to Konchesky on the left. The full-back's low cross looked to be a yard behind the big striker, but Ulloa checked his run, stuck his leg back, and turned it into the net in front of the near 3,000 City fans.
City had been handed a huge injury blow before kick-off with the news that Kasper Schmeichel, who had started the last 141 league games for the club, was ruled out with a knee injury picked up on international duty with Denmark.
This meant Pearson handed Ben Hamer his first league start for the club in an otherwise unchanged side from the one that held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw and, eventually, he would be crucial in City's victory to earn himself a clean sheet on debut.
After a slightly shaky start to his debut that saw him fumble the odd shot and hesitate on a couple of crosses, he grew into the game and came to the fore in the second half.
Hamer pulled off two crucial saves in the dying moments from substitute Mame Diouf as Stoke continued to push for an equaliser. The first saw him tip away a stinging effort before he dived bravely at the feet of the striker.
Teams:
Stoke: (4-2-3-1) Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross (c), Wilson, Pieters; Whelan, Nzonzi; Moses, Bojan, Walters; Crouch
Subs: Sorensen, Huth, Muniesa, Arnautovic, Adam, Diouf, Assaidi
Leicester: (4-4-2) Hamer; De Laet, Morgan (c), Moore, Konchesky; Mahrez, Hammond, King, Schlupp; Nugent, Ulloa
Subs: Smith, Drinkwater, Vardy, Cambiasso, Knockaert, Wasilewski, Wood
Referee: Michael Oliver
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