Tuesday 4 April 2017 23:55, UK
All Stoke City were lacking was a bit of attacking guile during their 1-0 loss at Burnley on Tuesday night, according to their manager Mark Hughes.
George Boyd's 58th-minute strike condemned the Potters to a third straight Premier League defeat, although the Welshman thought his side's display had warranted more at Turf Moor.
"We totally dominated the play and they were clearly content just to keep the ball away from us and knock balls into gulleys," said Hughes.
"But we coped with everything they produced, which was not a great deal in fairness, and I think they have had one clear shot on goal which has flown in.
"And then they protected it well in fairness, but we should have been home and hosed by the end of the first half to be perfectly honest with you."
The visitors spurned a number of presentable opportunities before the break, none more so than Austria international Marko Arnautovic, who had two clear openings in the first half.
"We had two or three open chances where we did not pick the right pass," Hughes said. "Marko Arnautovic went straight through a couple of times and should have done better and it continued in the same vein in the second half.
"So it was frustrating for us and we just needed that little bit of guile in the top end of the pitch, just to pick the right pass at the right moment to take the game away from them.
"As it was, I thought the way they played in terms of percentage football and if they get an opportunity to put the ball in the box, then they will.
"And it has dropped kindly for them and it was a good strike which has won the game for them.
"A couple of times and we expect better from him [Arnautovic], he is a quality player. But we had other opportunities and we may be rushed opportunities, taking shots when an extra pass might have been the better option for us. So that was the frustration on the night."
Overall, though, Hughes was pleased with how his players performed on the night, despite the visitors failing to score for a record-equalling fifth away game in a row in the Premier League.
"I have no problem with our level of performance, I thought it was markedly better than against Leicester on the weekend," he said.
"It was full of commitment, purpose, and we were always on the front foot, challenging for everything.
"So I was pleased with the performance, but at the end of the day we have come up short in terms of creating chances and taking them."
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