Hull City suffered a huge blow in their bid for Premier League survival on Easter weekend as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Stoke City.
Marko Arnautovic put the home side into the driving seat early on with a thumping effort, before squandering two great chances to add to his tally. Harry Maguire's equaliser gave Hull fresh hopes of dragging themselves back into the contest but second half goals from Peter Crouch and Xherdan Shaqiri ensured Mark Hughes' side saw off the away side. The result leaves The Tigers without a win in 16 away games in the league.
However, with fellow relegation strugglers Swansea City also failing to win their game, The Tigers remain two points above the drop. Marco Silva will know his side can ill-afford any more slip-ups should they remain in the top tier for next season.
Player Ratings
Jakupovic - 7 - Produced a stunning one handed save to deny Jonathan Walters just before Crouch turned in the second goal for the hosts. No blame can be attached to him for Xherdan Shaqiri's extraordinary finish either.
Maguire - 7 - Put in a decent display at right back capped off by a rather untidy finish to drag his side back into the game. Unfortunately for him the goal counted for nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Ranocchia - 6 - Should recieve much of the blame for Crouch's second half goal after misjudging the fight of the ball. Not one of his better days at the back for Hull.
Dawson - 6 - Was run ragged by Marko Arnautovic early in the match, struggling to keep pace with him for the opening goal.
Grosicki - 6 - All too familiar a tail for the wide man, who showed great skill only to squander a promising position with poor deliveries into the box. Had a chance late on but it was well kept out by Lee Grant.
Clucas - 7 - Carried a big threat when venturing forward for the away side, and had a big hand to play in the equalising goal.
Huddlestone - 7 - Once again, he was one of Hull's best performers on the day. A welcome return to midfield after carrying out his suspension and showed plenty of good touches before making way in the second half for some more attacking impetus.
N'Diaye - 6 - Used the ball well and produced some timely tackles. One of his better performances than those of late, but still hardly anything to shout about.
Robertson - 7 - His marauding runs down the flank caused problems for Stoke early on, but he was unable to continue his attacking drive in the second half. Did well defensively and was certainly one of the brighter sparks on the day.
Markovic - 7 - It was a bright performance from the on-loan Liverpool winger, who was unlikely to see his volley saved by Lee Grant after latching on to a pass from Maguire. Always looked a threat with his pace.
Niasse - 5 - It's not often Niasse recieves criticism for his performance finishing, but both were severely lacking at the weekend. He missed two brilliant chances - the first of which came just six yards out followed by an attempt at an open goal from outside the area following a mix-up in the Stoke defence. Unfortunately, Niasse couldn't make use of either opportunity and Hull paid the ultimate price.