Goals from Victor Moses and Mame Biram Diouf gave Stoke City a 2-0 win over Everton at the Britannia Stadium in the Premier League this evening.
Moses headed Mark Hughes's side ahead in the first half before Diouf came off the bench to make sure of the win late on.
The result moves Stoke up to eighth in the table, while Everton remain 14th, just six points clear of the relegation zone.
Here, Sports Mole rates the performances of each player involved in this evening's match.
© Getty ImagesSTOKE CITY
Goal
Asmir Begovic: The Stoke keeper only really came under pressure late on, but he did make some solid saves in the second half to make sure the hosts stayed ahead and kept a clean sheet. (7/10)
Defence
Phil Bardsley: Bardsley did not spend that much time at the back tonight, racing down the wing constantly for the Potters and setting up the opening goal, but he did get back when he was needed. (8/10)
Erik Pieters: Pieters was part of a solid, well-organised Stoke defence this evening that never really looked like letting in a goal. (7/10)
Marc Wilson: Wilson spent most of the night marking Lukaku, and kept the striker off the ball well in the first half, while continuing to restrict his chances after the break. (7/10)
Philipp Wollscheid: Wollscheid did not do anything wrong for Stoke, but he lasted just 17 minutes before being forced off with an injury, having done little before picking up the knock. (2/10)
Midfield
Glenn Whelan: Whelan worked hard all night both contributing going forward and dropping back to help out in defence when needed, making a few crucial blocks and clearances. (7/10)
Victor Moses: Moses was sensational for the Potters, creating numerous chances for his teammates as well as forcing a save from Howard before opening the scoring, and he came close to bagging a brace after the break. (9/10)
Steven N'Zonzi: N'Zonzi was one of the quieter players for Stoke this evening, but he was involved in a few dangerous moves, and kept pressing until the very end. (6/10)
Charlie Adam: Adam worked hard in midfield, getting involved in some physical battles while providing some accurate set-piece deliveries before being taken off with 15 minutes to go. (8/10)
Jonathan Walters: Walters started on the right flank, and provided a constant threat along with Bardsley to set up Crouch for a string of chances, particularly in the first half. (7/10)
Attack
Peter Crouch: Crouch was marked constantly, but still managed to get a few shots away. Came close with a header, but he was unable to find the back of the net before being taken off with 25 minutes to play. (6/10)
Substitutes
Geoff Cameron: Cameron actually played most of the match in defence after replacing Wollscheid in the 17th minute, and he worked well with Pieters and Wilson to make it a difficult night for the visitors. (7/10)
Marko Arnautovic: The striker added some pace up front in the final stages after replacing Adam, and came close to scoring the second when he hit the post, which ultimately set up Diouf's goal. (8/10)
Mame Biram Diouf: Diouf was active up front from the moment he replaced Crouch, and eventually found himself in the right place to fire after Arnautovic hit the woodwork. (8/10)
EVERTON
Goal
Tim Howard: The Everton keeper could have done little to stop Moses's header, but if he'd saved Arnautovic's strike it would not have rebounded to Diouf, which would have kept the visitors in the game. (4/10)
Defence
Phil Jagielka: The captain was probably the pick of the Everton defenders, but he was often left exposed by his teammates as he struggled to contain Moses and Crouch. (6/10)
Seamus Coleman: Coleman made a couple of clearances at the back, but did not have his usual impact going forward, providing just one noteworthy cross for the visitors. (5/10)
John Stones: It was a difficult night for the young centre-back, who found himself struggling with the pace of Moses and N'Zonzi, often getting caught out when Stoke countered. (3/10)
Luke Garbutt: Like Stones, Garbutt was not at his best against Stoke's counter-attacks, and his set pieces were hit and miss, but he did come close from a free kick late on. (4/10)
Midfield
Darron Gibson: Gibson got the ball forward quite a bit, but struggled to find his teammates up front to ultimately set up chances for Everton. (5/10)
James McCarthy: McCarthy was underused down the flank, but showed good pace when he got the ball, and showed grit as he came up against some rather hefty challenges from Stoke (6/10)
Gareth Barry: Barry was unable to commit to his usual physical style after picking up an early yellow card, leading to him being taken off after just an hour. The card also means he will be suspended for the next two matches. (3/10)
Attack
Romelu Lukaku: The striker just could not get open in the first half, and the few chances he did have after the break failed to trouble Begovic. (4/10)
Steven Naismith: The Scot battled hard with Bardsley and linked up well with Lennon, resulting in a few shots, but he never really came close, although he did help out at the back as well. (5/10)
Aaron Lennon: Lennon was the pick of the Everton players, finding a few gaps at the back to test the keeper, but his finishing touch was lacking, and he went off early. (7/10)
Substitutes
Leon Osman: Provided some much needed aggression and determination up front in the closing stages after replacing Barry, creating chances and taking on shots himself. (7/10)
Arouna Kone: The fresh legs of Kone came close to getting Everton back on level terms a couple of times before Diouf netted Stoke's second, forcing some good saves from Begovic. (7/10)
Kevin Mirallas: Mirallas came on with just over five minutes to go, and did not have much time on the ball, although he did fire a free kick just over in injury time. (4/10)
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