Stoke produce masterclass to prolong Hull’s away day misery
For all that the Marco Silva effect has galvanised Hull on their own turf, their losing habit away from home remains stubbornly hard to break and a 14th defeat on the road this season leaves them still dangerously close to the bottom three.
They have not recorded a victory anywhere apart from the KCOM Stadium since last August, and managed only two draws. How grateful they must be that three of their five remaining matches are at home, although they will hope not to need points against Tottenham in the last of those.
On a ground where they won in September, in the EFL Cup, they at least made a decent fist of trying to change the pattern, subjecting the home side’s defence to some difficult times, expos applauded ing the nervousness induced by four straight defeats, although Bruno Martins Indi was a solidifying presence.
Ultimately a Stoke side packed with attacking flair had too much for them, producing three superb goals.
Hull battled back from the first, by Marko Arnautovic, to force an equaliser early in the second half, only for a classic header by substitute Peter Crouch and a brilliantly-placed curler from the effervescent Xherdan Shaqiri to finish them off.
“We did not start well, making a lot of mistakes,” Silva said. “But we reacted well after going behind and made some good chances to score. The difference was the finishing.”
Stoke, with England goalkeeper Jack Butland on the bench after a year out with an ankle injury, produced some exhilarating play.
Arnautovic scored after six minutes, cutting inside on the left to put a shot into the top corner that goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic could do nothing to keep out. Then Ryan Shawcross, of all people, played a lovely ball in for Saido Berahino, who was denied his first goal for Stoke by the assistant referee’s flag.
It was a familiar position for Hull, yet their response was good. Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, on loan from Everton, was inches from connecting with a low cross and Lazar Markovic drew a good save from Lee Grant.
But Shaqiri was in inspired form, a clever back-heel making possible a low cross from Glen Johnson that Arnautovic probably should have converted.
It was an entertainingly open game of enterprising football from both sides and the second half began in a similar vein, except this time it was Hull grabbing the early goal, bundled home by Harry Maguire, off Shawcross, from a Sam Clucas cross.
Stoke’s response was a double substitution by Mark Hughes, who sent on Jonathan Walters and Crouch and earned a dividend after just eight minutes.
Supplied wide on the left by Arnautovic’s deep pass, Walters looked up to see Crouch striding forward in support and flighted the perfect cross for his team-mate, who outjumped his marker and planted a firm header into the bottom corner, an eighth goal of the season at 36.
Hull’s spirits were beginning to sag now and there was no way back for them after Shaqiri, moving in from the right to collect a pass from Arnautovic, set himself to score the goal his performance deserved, unleashing a wonderful shot from 30 yards that found the top left-hand corner.
Stoke City (3-4-3) Grant 7; Shawcross 6, Martins Indi 7, Muniesa 6; Johnson 7, Cameron 7, Adam 7 (Walters 58), Pieters 5; Shaqiri 9 (Diouf 88), Berahino 6 (Crouch 58), Arnautovic 8. Subs Butland (g), Bardsley, Imbula, Ramadan. Hull City (4-2-3-1) Jakupovic 7; Maguire 7, Dawson 6, Ranocchia 6, Robertson 6; Huddlestone 5 (Hernandez 70), N’Diaye 6; Markovic 6 (Elmohamady 86), Clucas 7, Grosicki 6; Niasse 6 (Mbokani 86). Subs Marshall (g), Maloney, Henriksen, Evandro. Booked Niasse, Markovic.
Referee S Attwell (Warwickshire).