Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has admitted that his side were pushed all the way as they claimed a slender victory over relegation-threatened Crystal Palace this afternoon.
A goal from Joe Allen was all that separated the two sides at the bet365 Stadium as Stoke moved up into ninth in the Premier League table.
"It was a hard-fought win I have to say," Hughes told reporters afterwards. "We needed that breakthrough and it was a great goal when it came. We always felt that we would see the game through to a conclusion once we went ahead, and we restricted Palace to very few opportunities.
"Joe Allen times his runs well, he has an aptitude for it and it was a great finish. We are not in bad shape overall, we are doing OK but now we have to navigate our way through some very difficult games.
"We'll be last on Match of the Day again won't we? It was a war of attrition at times, Palace came here and made life difficult for us. We had to be vigilant but we were always waiting for that breakthrough. We had four good opportunities before we scored."
Next up for Hughes's side is a tough trip to title-chasing Tottenham Hotspur when Premier League action resumes in a fortnight.
Neil Wilkes
