Tony Pulis heaped praise on his weary squad after Matthew Etherington's second half strike saw Stoke overcome Norwich.
Potters manager delighted with match-winner Etherington
Stoke boss Tony Pulis heaped praise on his weary squad after Matthew Etherington's second half winner against Norwich saw the Potters move up to eighth in the Premier League table.
In a turgid affair starved of chances, Etherington lit up proceedings with a 72nd minute stike to hand Stoke a 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium.
The success seals back-to-back home victories for Pulis' men, who have now played 44 matches in all competitions this season.
Norwich boss Paul Lambert was left frustrated by a throw-in decision in the lead-up to Etherington's goal, but Pulis believes his side were full value for the three points.
Pressure
He said: "I've not seen it (the decision) but if we've had a bit of luck I think we deserved it for our overall performance.
"(Norwich goalkeeper) John Ruddy made some good saves, especially the one from Peter (Crouch) in the first half. We put on a lot of pressure but we didn't create the amount of chances we would have liked.
"For Matty (Etherington) to score is good because it gives him a lot of confidence and that will do him the world of good.
"Forward players have good times and bad but we have to ride with it. Matty is a top, top player and today he was back to like his best.
"We've had a real, real, busy season against top, top clubs. It takes its toll but the lads have got their heads down the last two weeks and been great.
"We're mid-table in the league, we've had a great European adventure and we've got the opportunity to go to one of the great arenas in English football (Liverpool) and give them a run for their money hopefully."
