A wonder strike from Liam Lawrence ensured Stoke will be playing Premier League football next season while fellow newcomers Hull look increasingly like prime candidates for relegation after a 2-1 defeat at the KC Stadium.
Lawrence unleashed a fabulous 25-yarder with 18 minutes remaining to put Hull in command after Ricardo Fuller had given them the lead.
Andy Dawson scored an injury-time free-kick but the game was lost by then and, with just one win in 20 matches, Phil Brown’s side could drop into the relegation zone on Monday depending on the outcome of Newcastle’s clash with Middlesbrough.
Hull had started brightly enough and Daniel Cousin’s strong header forced Thomas Sorensen into a good save.
The Danish keeper then denied Richard Garcia but it was Stoke who took the lead as the end of the first half approached.
Lawrence won a corner and it was his delivery that caused panic in the Hull box, allowing Fuller to fire in a shot on the turn.
There were another couple of important saves from Sorensen at the start of the second half, from a mishit shot from Kevin Kilbane and a header from Garcia.
In between those two chances, Stoke went close when Glenn Whelan fired a half-volley fractionally over and the midfielder saw another effort bounce out off the inside of the post.
That was indicative of Stoke’s growing comfort and Lawrence made the points safe when he collected a pass from Fuller and unleashed a superb drive that gave Boaz Myhill no chance.
Dawson’s consolation strike came deep into the six minutes of stoppage time added on at the end. But his curling free-kick came too late to offer Hull any chance of salvaging something from the match.
