Hull City and Stoke City shared the spoils at the KC Stadium on Saturday as they played out a goalless draw in the Premier League.
The closest that either side came to finding the net during a drab encounter was when Ryan Shawcross headed against the crossbar from a corner with 15 minutes remaining.
However, a lack of action at both ends of the pitch saw the teams come away with a point apiece.
Match statistics:
Hull:
Shots 13
On target 4
Possession 46%
Corners 7
Fouls 11
Stoke:
Shots 11
On target 2
Possession 54%
Corners 5
Fouls 13
Was the result fair?
Both sides did little to warrant the win during as dull a 90 minutes that the Premier League is likely to see this season. There were occasional flashes of attacking intent from the two teams, but those were few and far between throughout.
Hull's performance
The hosts did plenty of passing and probing around in midfield, but there was nowhere near enough end product to truly threaten the Stoke goal. Quite simply, they looked abject whenever they were in and around the opposition penalty area. This was stodgy, uninspiring and depressing football of the highest order - a display that was as unforgettable as the match was long. That said, Steve Bruce is likely to be satisfied that his side picked up a point in their battle for Premier League survival.
Stoke's performance
Similar to their opponents, the visitors did little to suggest that they really wanted the three points at the KC Stadium. The defended as doggedly as ever, though in truth they were rarely called into action against a flaccid Hull attack. Meanwhile their midfield and strikers struggled to link up with any meaningful menace. The Potters came alive as the game dragged on, but it was too little to late as they seemed content with a share of the spoils.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Ryan Shawcross: The Stoke skipper was his usual committed self in defence as he blocked, kicked and headed anything that came his way. He nearly wrote the headlines with 15 minutes left, only to see his header hit the crossbar from a corner.
Biggest gaffe
Hull had something of a half-chance late on through Yannick Sagbo, but the Hull striker summed up the entire match when he completely missed the ball instead of volleying towards goal.
Referee performance
Mike Dean had a couple of important calls to make as he turned down a Hull penalty claim and disallowed a Stoke goal late on, and the experienced official got both of those right during a competent display in the middle.
What next?
Hull: The Tigers return to Premier League action next Saturday with a trip to West Bromwich Albion.
Stoke: The Potters welcome Manchester United to the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
Jack Prescott
