Hughes: We dealt with Blues well

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes was delighted with the shift his side put in as they secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

The Blues, who had exited the Capital One Cup at the hands of the Potters on penalties just 12 days ago, dominated proceedings in the evening kick-off but could not breach a stubborn home defence.

Marko Arnautovic scored the only goal of the game early in the second half when he volleyed past Asmir Begovic from inside the box, and the hosts held on for what Hughes thought was a deserved victory.

The result halted a two-match winless run for the Staffordshire club as they recorded their fourth win in six outings and Hughes praised every one of his players for a job well done.

"It was a great win and a great performance from every level I would suggest," the Welshman told StokeCity Player after the game.

"You know you're not going to be able to dominate possession. They can close you down and keep the ball very well with great individual talent, but we matched Chelsea throughout.

"We dealt with them really, really well and we had threats going forward as well so I'm delighted with everybody's performance.

"I thought Xherdan had his best game for us and the lads at the back stuck with it while the midfield lads have put a shift in as well.

"It was a good move and a great pass that lead to the goal. Thankfully Marko has saw the opportunity and dispatched the ball with great technique. All in all it was a really satisfying performance and result."