Hull City 0-3 Stoke City: Lewis Baker scores twice as Alex Neil gets first win
- Published
Lewis Baker's fortuitous opener set Stoke on their way
Lewis Baker scored twice as Stoke beat Hull in the Championship to give Alex Neil his first win as Potters boss.
The hosts went ahead when Baker's 25th-minute free-kick took a wicked deflection, wrongfooting keeper Matt Ingram.
And another Baker free-kick led to Stoke doubling their lead just before half-time.
Baker swung the ball in from the right, Ingram failed to claim it and Ben Wilmot headed home - the defender's second goal in as many matches.
Baker sealed the victory with a superb second-half strike. A lovely team move culminated in Dwight Gayle touching the ball off to the midfielder, who fired in from near the edge of the penalty area.
It was a hugely disappointing night for Hull, who started the season well but have now lost three matches in a row and four of their past five.
With the score at 2-0, they went close to pulling a goal back when Oscar Estupinan's shot hit the post.
But that came after Will Smallbone missed a chance to add a third for Neil's side when he was unable to find a way past Ingram after being put through.
Once Baker did get the third, there was no way back for the Tigers, who have now kept just one clean sheet in their past 14 home league matches - a run stretching back to last season.
The result sees them drop to 15th in the table, while Stoke moved up to 12th.
Hull boss Shota Arveladze:
"It's difficult to analyse. We need to find more energy - and not (only) to react to what happens. At 1-0 we're going to be reactive and at 2-0 it's the same. We have to put our own.
"Whatever excuses I find now will not be good enough. We didn't create a lot. We're reacting rather than waiting for what the opposition are going to do. In the games we've taken over, we've been dictating.
"I've said to the boys that we have to start from zero again. Now we'll see what we can do."
Stoke boss Alex Neil:
"What I wanted for the players tonight was to play with a bit of belief and determination and I thought we got all of that.
"I thought we scored some good goals at good times, and thought we were hard to break down. I thought we looked a real threat going forward every time we broke, so really pleased to score three goals, great to get a clean sheet, and certainly a great win on the road.
"With Lewis, he's got quality, he's got goals from the middle of the park, he's got legs, can pass the ball - we just need to make sure with him and everybody else that there's a level of consistency."