Peter Crouch scored the only goal of the match as Stoke City edged to a 1-0 victory over Hull City this afternoon.
The striker was picked out at the back post by Charlie Adam, before heading an effort beyond the reach of Allan McGregor.
Hull were unable to respond and they managed just one strike on goal throughout the 90 minutes.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Britannia Stadium.
Match Statistics:
STOKE CITY:
Shots 17
On Target 2
Possession 58%
Corners 5
Fouls 9
HULL CITY:
Shots 1
On Target 0
Possession 42%
Corners 2
Fouls 10
Was the result fair?
It's hard to argue against Stoke deserving the three points this afternoon. They dominated the game and created far more chances than their opponents. There was very little to separate the teams in a dour first half, but Mark Hughes must have had some strong words for his players in the dressing room to inspire a response. They duly obliged and were worthy winners against a team that conjured up just one shot all afternoon.
Stoke City's performance
Stoke are usually a tough prospect at home, but in the opening 45 minutes they gave the ball away cheaply and struggled to create any clear-cut chances. The arrival of Adam at the start of the second half was a huge boost for them and they looked far more of a threat. Adam was also involved in the winning goal, as it was his fine cross that picked out Crouch to head in. The Potters have now won their last two games and it looks as if they are starting to return to form after a difficult start to the month.
Hull City's performance
Having won their last two games, you would have expected Hull to be full of confidence today, but it was a highly disappointing performance. They barely created any chances and a shot off-target from Sone Aluko inside the opening 20 minutes proved to be their only moment of danger. Fortunately for Hull, all of their relegation rivals lost today so they are still four points clear of the bottom three ahead of an important run of games.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Charlie Adam: The midfielder came on at the start of the second half and immediately made a positive response. He came close with a couple of decent strikes that went just wide and it got the crowd on their feet after an uninspiring opening half. It was no surprise that he played a huge part in the winning goal, as his brilliant cross was headed in by fellow substitute Crouch.
Biggest gaffe
There were no huge mistakes by either side that led to goalscoring chances, but there were a number of poor passes and mistimed challenges throughout. It was a game devoid of quality for large periods and there was very little to get excited about.
Referee's performance
Neil Swarbrick handed out some soft bookings today, but he should have shown a card to Stephen Ireland for a poor challenge on David Meyler. He appeared to stamp on the Hull midfielder's ankle and some referees would have sent him off in that situation.
What next?
Stoke City: The Potters are back in action on Wednesday evening with a home match against Everton.
Hull City: Hull face a clash against fellow strugglers Sunderland at the KC on Tuesday evening.
Alex Meyers
