Hull 0 Stoke 2: Xherdan Shaqiri scores two stunners as Potters pile more misery on hapless Tigers

STOKE CITY's Xherdan Shaqiri heaped more misery on Mike Phelan's Hull City with two fine strikes at the KCOM Stadium.

A goal either side of half time from the Swiss wizard saw the Potters extend their unbeaten run to four games after a disastrous start to the season - while Hull have lost five Premier League games in a row as they slip further towards the trap door.

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Shaqiri gave Stoke the lead after 26 minutes with a stunning strike, cutting in from the flank to smash into the cop corner.

And after the break he doubled his tally with a fine left-footed free kick, fired over the wall and beyond a despairing David Marshall in the Tigers' net.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS

• Hull will have been delighted to see the return of captain Michael Dawson. This was his first outing since May’s Championship play-off final after suffering a knee injury in pre-season.
• The Tigers, though, still have host of players on the treatment table – the latest being left-back Andrew Robertson, who has been ruled out for two months.
• Hull midfielder Tom Huddlestone was making his 450th career game. With his talent, you cannot help but feel he should have achieved more in the game – not least a greater haul of England caps than four.

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• Stoke fans chanted ‘Your ground’s too big for you’ and they might have had a point. There was a raft of empty seats in the North Stand.
• It was hardly an attractive sight for Hull’s prospective new owners. It emerged this week that a £130million deal has been conditionally agreed with a Far East consortium.

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• The two men in the dugouts today were close pals. Mark Hughes and Mike Phelan played together under Alex Ferguson at Manchester United between 1989 and 1994.
• Xherdan Shaqiri only deals in stunners. His opener here was a spectacular 25-yard strike which flew into the top right corner, and his second was a fine dipping free-kick. Of course, we all remember his overhead kick for Switzerland against Poland in the Euros.
• If only Hull had any player of that quality. Lone striker Will Keane certainly isn’t. This was his first start at the KCOM Stadium and it was very forgettable.
• This was Stoke’s first away league win since March and they have leapfrogged Hull to move out of the relegation zone.
• Does Phelan regret taking on the Tigers job? His side have now lost five on the spin and are winless in seven.

BIG PICTURE

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SOCIAL SAYS

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

HULL CITY: Marshall 6, Elmohamady 6, Dawson 6, Davies 6, Clucas 6, Huddlestone 6 (Maguire 6), Meyler 6 (Hernandez 6), Livermore 6, Mason 6, Snodgrass 5, Keane 5 (Diomande 6)

Subs not used: Maloney, Jakupovic, Weir, Tymon

Booked: Clucas, Mason

STOKE CITY: Grant 7, Bardsley 6, Shawcross 7, Martins Indi 7, Pieters 7, Whelan 7, Cameron 7, Shaqiri 9, Allen 7, Arnautovic 6, Bony 6 (Diouf 6)

Subs not used: Muniesa, Adam, Walters, Given, Crouch, Krkic

Goals: Shaqiri (26, 50)

Booked: Bardsley, Shaqiri, Allen

STAR MAN: Xherdan Shaqiri

WHAT THEY SAID

Hull boss Mike Phelan: "Extremely disappointing. We didn't pass the ball well enough, we were nervous and it didn't go in our favour.