- Shaqiri buries long range goal
- Crouch, Arnautovic also scored
- Hull still two points safe
Xherdan Shaqiri’s absolute stunner put an exclamation point on Stoke City’s 3-1 win over Hull City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday.
Marko Arnautovic and Peter Crouch also scored for the Potters, who sit 11th with 39 points. Harry Maguire had Hull’s goal, and the Tigers finish the day two points ahead of Swansea in 17th.
[ MORE: Watch full PL match replays ]
Mark Hughes saw his side go up 1-0 with a bullet, as Arnautovic held off the mark of Harry Maguire to dribble across the top of the box before unleashing a vicious bar-down strike past Eldin Jakupovic.
The Austrian almost had two when Xherdan Shaqiri chipped him in on goal, but Arnautovic’s side volley was hit with too much power and flew over the frame.
Saido Berahino thought he had a Stoke goal from a Ryan Shawcross pass, but the latter’s stop-start before playing the ball had Berahino offside.
Oumar Niasse was stopped from action by Lee Grant’s presence on a should-have-been equalizer in the 22nd minute, a cross left wanting through the six. Grant then made a two-handed stop of Lazar Markovic in the 25th.
Stoke wasn’t moved by the moments of worry, and Arnautovic had yet another chance to score only to cut his shot wide of the frame from an acute angle.
[ MORE: Latest Premier League standings ]
9 - Marko Arnautovic has been directly involved in nine PL goals this term (6 goals, 3 assists); the most of any Stoke player. Integral.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 15, 2017
[ MORE: Full lineups, stats, box score ]
Maguire found the equalizer just after the break, after Stoke came out of the break in dodgy fashion. Positioned at the back post, Maguire ran onto a loose ball and punched it behind Grant to make it 1-1.
Jakupovic slapped away a strong diving header from Jon Walters in the 60th minute, and Peter Crouch couldn’t get over the rebound to restore Stoke’s lead.
Crouch was the man to make it 2-1 after all, the giant veteran rising to head a terrific Walters cross beyond the reach of a flying Jakupovic.
Shaqiri would finish the scoring off a feed from Arnautovic, burying a goal of the year candidate from well beyond the 18. Laser.