Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has praised his side for delivering a "deserved" win over relegation battlers Middlesbrough this afternoon.

A first-half brace from Marko Arnautovic helped the Potters to all three points at the bet365 Stadium, one week on from their 4-0 hammering at Tottenham Hotspur.

"It was important to bounce back," Hughes told reporters after the game. "We didn't do ourselves any favours at Tottenham last week. We had something to prove.

"It was a deserved lead in the first half, two good goals from Marko Arnautovic. We could have won more comprehensively.

"When he times those runs in behind he is very difficult to knock off his stride, he's a big guy with lots of power. He's got that potential."

Next up for Stoke is a trip to Manchester City on Wednesday evening.

Written by
Neil Wilkes