Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice at the KCOM Stadium to move Stoke City out of the Premier League relegation zone for the first time in two months whilst piling on the pressure for struggling Hull City.
The Swiss international scored either side of half time to secure back-to-back victories for The Potters, first with a sublime long-range effort before adding a second with a pin-point freekick. Mark Hughes’ side were comfortable throughout the majority of the contest and Hull will be fearing the worst after slipping into the bottom three in the Premier League table for the first time this campaign.
Shaqiri demonstrates his ‘game changing’ ability
Xherdan Shaqiri was the outstanding figure in what was a largely forgettable match and his two moments of inspired brilliance were enough to earn The Potters a vital three points. In addition to his two breath-taking strikes, the 25 year-old strode around the pitch with the arrogant swagger of a man full of confidence, demonstrating wonderful moments of entertaining skill and showing fantastic vision with a multitude of incisive passes.
Marko Arnautovic, Wilfried Bony and Joe Allen were all provided with goal scoring opportunities courtesy of the diminutive Swiss star whilst the Hull City defence struggled to keep him under wraps. In short, Shaqiri was the ‘game changer’ that was required to spark the contest into life and Mark Hughes will be hopping that the winger replicates this performance against Swansea City next week.