Saturday 31 January 2015 20:03, UK
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes heaped praise on striker Jonathan Walters after his perfect hat-trick helped the team to a 3-1 win over struggling QPR.
Walters scored twice in the first half, before an injury-time header sealed both his treble and the three points.
Hughes told Sky Sports: “In the end, it was fitting that Jonathan Walters got his hat-trick and took the game away from them. He was excellent on the day. He’s a credit to his profession, he gives everything in training, and every match he plays.
“He never changes, he’s always giving 100 per cent. I think he’s the first Stoke player ever to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, and on his 200th appearance as well, so he’s had a good day.
“I don’t think he’s too appreciated by people outside these vicinities, but we know the value of him. He’s a great team player in the dressing room as well.”
Hughes admits that at 2-1, Stoke allowed Harry Redknapp’s side a way back into the match. Nico Kranjcar scored his third goal in as many appearances at the Britannia Stadium to make it nervy until the final moments.
Hughes said: “We allowed them, unfortunately, to get a little bit of encouragement, allowed them to score. At 2-1, it’s still all to play for, and in the second half they had the benefit of the conditions.
“Everyone knows how strong they are on set plays, and we had to defend correctly. We’re grateful to Asmir Begovic on a couple of occasions, a couple of great saves.
“We had to keep them out, obviously they were throwing everything at us at the end. Given that we lost Ryan [Shawcross] in the first half, we had to make a change at the back, so we stuck at it, and the game wasn’t of great quality. To win ugly is a good sign.”
Another three points takes Hughes’ side up to ninth in the Premier League, and the Stoke manager is well aware that his side are performing well.
He continued: “We’re on a decent run. I think the last 10, 11 games, we’ve only been beaten twice, and that was against Chelsea and Arsenal. We’re on a good run, and we hope we can maintain it until the end of the season. We’ve got targets that we want to hit, and we’re bang on track at the moment.”
