Wednesday 8 March 2017 22:53, UK
Stoke boss Mark Hughes has praised his side for sticking to their plan and grinding out a 0-0 draw at Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The Potters were largely untroubled for most of the game at the Etihad Stadium, and the match stats show they had more shots on target than their hosts.
"Plans and formations and different systems are all well and good, but you need the players to commit to it and that's what we did to a man tonight," Hughes told Sky Sports.
"I thought we had some good opportunities in the first half, and with a little bit more care, we could have capitalised on that.
"We restricted them to very few opportunities and I don't think Lee Grant had one save to make in open play, which tells you how well we did on the night. I was really pleased."
Hughes also reserved praise for his front two of Saido Berahino and Jon Walters, who led the line impressively at the Etihad.
"Usually we play in a certain shape but we changed it tonight, going with two up top," he said. "They had to do a specific job for us, and I thought Berahino and Walters were the catalyst for our performance. They worked hard and did what was expected of them, which encouraged everyone behind them.
"I took [Berahino] off at the end but he still had good energy levels. He's up to speed now and will get a lot of games between now and the end of the season."
Stoke's last away game in the Premier League was a 4-0 drubbing at Tottenham, but they showed far more resolve on Wednesday night, which is something Hughes took note of.
He said: "Maybe at times we've been guilty of backing ourselves against the top teams and ended up coming unstuck. But that's twice this year we've come to Manchester and got a positive result, and not many teams can say that."
