Hull City have suffered a damaging blow in their fight against Premier League relegation after falling to a 3-1 defeat at Stoke City on Saturday.
Marko Arnautovic put the hosts ahead with a thumping strike six minutes in, cutting onto his right foot after being played in by Xherdan Shaqiri and lashing in off the underside of the crossbar.
The first half ended with just the one goal in it, but the Tigers drew level six minutes after the restart when Lazar Markovic's blocked effort was bundled in off the post by Harry Maguire on the rebound.
However, a double substitution by the hosts turned the tide as Jon Walters crossed for fellow replacement Peter Crouch to restore the lead.
The Potters then killed the game off in spectacular fashion 10 minutes before full time when Shaqiri took aim from 30 yards and fired a ferocious shot past the helpless Eldin Jakupovic.
Despite the defeat, Marco Silva's charges remain two points outside the relegation zone thanks to Swansea City's loss at Watford, while Mark Hughes's side climb to 11th in the table.
Giuseppe Labellarte
