Saturday 29 April 2017 18:34, UK
Mark Hughes said his Stoke side needed to be more clinical in their goalless draw with West Ham on Saturday in the Premier League.
Hughes' side missed several chances to score at the Bet365 Stadium, as Stoke reached the coveted 40-point mark with three games to spare.
The Welshman said that while he was pleased with the overall performance, he wanted his side to be less wasteful in front of goal.
Hughes told Sky Sports: "It was a difficult game for us in terms of trying to break West Ham down. They did really well against Everton, restricting Lukaku, and to be fair they did it again here, got bodies behind the ball and made it difficult.
"We just needed to be a bit more clinical with that final ball, just a little bit more craft at the top end of the pitch. In terms of effort and trying to win the game, we were the team trying to win it, but we just needed that one ball to go in for us.
"If we'd been able to get a score on the board, that would have brought West Ham out a bit and we could have capitalised on it. As it was, I think they're happier with the result, for them it's a good away point, but for us we're disappointed that the good play we had didn't lead to a win.
"All in all, I was pleased enough with the effort and the desire in the team, on the day sometimes you have to acknowledge that the opposition did a good job, came here for a point and that's what they got."
Jack Butland, who recently returned from a year-long injury, kept his first clean sheet of the season in front of watching England manager Gareth Southgate.
Butland made several good saves on Saturday, and Hughes praised the 24-year-old for returning to the side in such good shape.
"In fairness, he made a couple of good saves, was dominant when he needed to, coming for crosses when they were starting to put balls in our box.
"It's good to have him back, he looks in good nick at the moment, I have to say, he's a confident boy.
"In terms of his rehabilitation from a long injury, he's come back in good shape now. Lee Grant has been exceptional this year, a big part of what we've done as a team, but Jack needed a run of games."
