Watford spoiled Mark Hughes' 100th match in charge of Stoke City after imposing a 2-0 home defeat on the Potters.

Troy Deeney and Almen Abdi both scored to condemn the Potters to a third loss in five games at the Britannia Stadium and the result also ends the Potters' three game winning run in the Premier League.

Deeney divides the two sides at the break

Stoke were unchanged from their 1-0 win at Swansea City on Monday and it was the Potters who threatened first when Charlie Adam fired narrowly wide of Heurelho Gomes' left-hand post.

The home side were forced into an early change when Geoff Cameron injured his thigh, while battling with Deeney for the ball. The USA international was replaced by Marc Wilson in defence.

Adam went close again, but his half-volley was deflected behind and away from goal.

Marko Arnautovic had Stoke's best chance of the match just before the half-hour mark, but the in-form Austrian could only head over Xherdan Shaqiri's cross when he should have tested Gomes at the very least.

Stoke had dominated the half, but they enjoyed a miraculous escape in the 36th minute, when Watford hit the bar twice in the space of ten seconds. Odion Ighalo headed the ball against the crossbar before Deeney was denied by the woodwork seconds later, thumping his shot from a slight angle against the bar.

Gomes had to claw away Shaqiri's in-swinging corner at the near post minutes later before Watford broke the deadlock just before half-time.

Deeney scored his first ever Premier League goal, after Phillip Wollscheid slipped to leave the Watford striker with time and space on the edge of the area to slot his low shot into the bottom right-corner and beyond Jack Butland.

Abdi's strike seals victory for Watford

Stoke went in search of an equaliser in the opening stages of the second-half but frustration quickly set in as the Potters found it hard to make openings.

Hughes had seen enough by the hour mark and brought off Shaqiri and Joselu for Jonathan Walters and Peter Crouch. Gomes finally had to make a save in the 67th minute, but only when Adam swung in a right-corner at speed towards the Watford goal.

Watford doubled their lead in the 69th minute after a defensive error by Marc Wilson. Wilson was dispossessed by Ighalo on the Watford left; the striker played the ball to Almen Abdi, who advanced towards the Stoke area before powering his shot past Butland and into the goal.

The goal killed off any remaining hope the players and supporters had of seeing the Potters claw themselves back into the encounter.

Watford nearly scored a third goal minutes later after Stoke gifted the ball away again, but the Potters would have been thankful to see Butland making an instinctive save to deny substitute Juan Carlos Paredes.

What next?

The defeat sees Watford leapfrog Stoke in the table and prevents the Potters from enjoying their best points return from the opening 10 games of a Premier League campaign.

Stoke face wounded Chelsea in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday, before they travel to Newcastle United in the Premier League next Saturday.

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About the author
Adam Bailey
Everton editor, who also covers cycling and athletics.