Stoke City 3-0 Huddersfield Town: Potters cruise to win over Terriers
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An early headed goal from Phil Jagielka (left) set Stoke on the way to their fifth home league win of the season
Huddersfield Town will restart life under the management of Neil Warnock still deep in Championship relegation trouble after losing at Stoke.
Phil Jagielka's first-half header, a close-range finish from Jacob Brown and a Lewis Baker penalty for the Potters kept Huddersfield, who reappointed 74-year-old Warnock as boss on Monday, second from bottom and four points from safety.
Under interim head coach Narcis Pelach for the final time before Warnock officially takes control, Town fell behind when Jagielka's header from Will Smallbone's corner looped into the far corner - the 40-year-old defender's second goal of the season.
The home side improved once in front and Town goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik made saves from Stoke debutant Ben Pearson and Brown before the interval.
Huddersfield went close before the break themselves, with Tom Lees hitting the bar from Anthony Knockaert's free-kick.
They started the second half with more attacking urgency but were forced to play the final 26 minutes with 10 men after Will Boyle was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Stoke wrapped up the points soon afterwards when Brown drove home following a scramble in the six-yard box, and sub Baker converted from the spot in the closing seconds after Brown had been brought down in the area.
Warnock's first spell as Huddersfield manager between 1993 and 1995 included a third-tier play-off victory, and his bid to ensure the club does not drop down to that level once again begins with a home fixture against Birmingham on Saturday.
Stoke, meanwhile, could have been dragged dangerously close to the relegation zone had they lost, but they are now seven points above the bottom three.
Stoke manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Stoke:
"I'm very pleased, we knew the importance and significance of the game.
"Probably apart from a five-minute spell at the start of the match, from that point onwards I thought we were the dominant team.
"I thought we should have finished the game off in the first half and we spoke at half-time about the importance of the next goal. To get three goals and another clean sheet - it was really important that we won tonight."
Huddersfield interim head coach Narcis Pelach told BBC Radio Leeds:
"We were not in the game. In the first half we were out of the game, the mind was not in the right place, the reality is that we didn't compete, we didn't win duels or second balls and the team was always late in every action.
"We got a slight reaction in the first 20 minutes of the second half, I would not say it was a proper reaction, but it was a little bit better until the red card. When we got the man sent off, the game was dead.
"Tomorrow starts a new adventure, Neil is going to help the team, he is an experienced man and we look forward to having him in the building."