Mark Hughes pleased with Stoke spirit after victory over West Ham
Monday 16 May 2016 09:26, UK
Mark Hughes hailed Stoke's fighting spirit after they came back from a one-goal deficit to beat West Ham 2-1 on Sunday.
Mame Biram Diouf's late header earned the Potters their first win since March and secured a top-10 finish for the third consecutive season under Hughes.
Michail Antonio had put the Hammers ahead at the Britannia, but Giannelli Imbula equalised 10 minutes after the break and Diouf powered home two minutes from time to end Stoke's miserable run of form.
"I was delighted in the second half," Hughes said. "I thought we started brightly and then conceded against the run of play from a set-piece.
"We lost a bit of confidence and that was the difference in the second half as we got on the ball and we were determined to play our football.
"All season we've been getting good results by passing and supporting, and that's what we did. We had to ride our luck a little bit at the end and they threw everybody forward, goalkeeper included.
"But we deserved the three points and that takes us into the top nine. It's three times in the top 10 since I've been here and that's what we do, that's what I do and what my staff do.
"For almost every season I've been involved at Premier League level, if I get the full season I am never lower than tenth. I think we need to remind ourselves sometimes of how well we're doing and how well these players have been doing."
Imbula, who signed for a club-record fee in January, got Stoke back in the game with his second league goal of the season and Hughes believes the Frenchman will be even better next year.
"He has all the talent in the world and it was a great finish," Hughes added. "He worked his socks off today, and some people have suggested he hasn't got that element to his play, but once he gets stronger and understands the Premier League, then he's going to be a great player for us."
When asked about his plans for the summer transfer window, Hughes added: "We will look to bring more quality in if we can.
"We had a big purchase for us in January and that was important, we couldn't afford to wait because if we had Giannelli might not have been available. Sometimes you have to act quickly and with purpose.
"We will try and do that again, but it might be a bit later this summer because of the Euros."
