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Stoke 1 - Hull 0: Super-sub Peter Crouch bags three points for Potters
MARK HUGHES made a proper Charlie out of his old Manchester United team-mate Steve Bruce.
Crouch came off the bench to grab a winner for Stoke
The Stoke boss made two second half substitutions which won him the game. Charlie Adam was the inspiration this dull encounter demanded when he came on for the start of the second half.
And then Hughes threw Peter Crouch into the thick of the non-action to head the winner from Adam’s pass just SIXTY ONE seconds after his number was flashed up on the fourth official’s board.
Steve Bruce was left rueing Crouch's late winner
It was Crouch’s fourth goal in as many appearances and left Hull manager Bruce heading back to Humberside still deeply concerned about his side’s Premier League plight.
The game had screamed out for a touch of class and Adam showed it when his 30-yard shot whistled a fraction wide of the upright.
And the same player curled a free kick past the post to finally put Hull on the back foot. But just when Bruce thought he’d weathered the storm, Adam pinpointed a pass into the box for Crouch to loop a header beyond McGregor for the 71st minute decider.