Hull grab late winner to add to Stoke's misery
Stoke's misery continued as Markus Henriksen's late strike secured Hull a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at the Bet365 Stadium in the EFL Cup third round.
The Potters, on a four-match losing run in the Premier League and bottom of the table, had gone into this tie very much in need of a morale-boosting result.
And they appeared on their way to that when Marko Arnautovic cracked the ball home in the 24th minute to give them a deserved lead.
But they conceded against the run of play when Ryan Mason marked his first Hull start with a volleyed finish just before half-time.
And Mark Hughes' men then, despite having been the better the team virtually throughout, ended up ruing missed opportunities as Tigers debutant Henriksen sent them crashing out, firing past Lee Grant in stoppage time.
Stoke, with only four changes in their starting line-up compared to eight for Hull, had looked eager to produce something positive as the game got under way, with Arnautovic volleying wide, Wilfried Bony seeing a shot deflect behind and Ryan Shawcross shooting over.
Hull's only reply had come via a low shot wide early on from Henriksen, and it came as little surprise when it was the hosts who grabbed the lead midway through the first half.
Arnautovic was afforded considerable space just outside the box and made the most of it as he unleashed a powerful, rising effort that flew past David Marshall.
Bony hooked wide from a cutback by the lively Ramadan Sobhi soon after, and Glen Johnson then had a fierce strike tipped over by Marshall.
Hull were frequently guilty of sloppy play and showing barely any attacking threat, and as Arnautovic's shot was caught by Marshall with half-time looming, it seemed Stoke's only regret at the break would be that they were not leading by more.
Moments later, though, the Tigers were suddenly level as James Weir delivered a floating ball across the box that Mason connected with first-time, guiding it over Grant and in.
As they looked to bounce back from that shock, Stoke were soon dominating possession again after the interval but were left frustrated in their efforts to regain the lead.
Bony shot off target and then took too long when another chance came his way, before being taken off for Mame Diouf.
Arnautovic went closer with a free-kick that deflected just the wrong side of the post and Charlie Adam - brought on for Giannelli Imbula - stung Marshall's palms with a firm strike.
Marshall then did excellently to deny Diouf and Sobhi also had a close-range effort blocked as Stoke continued to apply pressure.
The game looked absolutely bound for extra-time but Henriksen then made his late intervention, meeting a neat back-heel from Shaun Maloney to blast the ball in and snatch victory for Mike Phelan's side.
Source : PA
Source: PA