Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has said that his side were "brilliant" after their 2-1 Europa League win against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Despite a late strike from the hosts, goals from Dean Whitehead and Peter Crouch were enough to keep the Potters top of their group with two games to play.
"It was a great performance," Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke. "I thought the lads were brilliant.
"There was a little bit of a lapse at the end but that's a little bit of tiredness. They huffed and puffed a little bit but we coped with it."
Pulis also described City's next European match against Dynamo Kiev at the Britannia Stadium as a "cup final".
A draw on December 1 would see the East Midlands team through to the next stage of the competition, while a win would confirm them as group winners.
"Kiev at the Britannia now is a cup final," he added.
"If we don't get beat, we'll go through. It's as simple as that, so it's a massive game for us. They are a good side."
Stoke next take a trip to Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League on Sunday.
Jack Prescott
