Mark Hughes has admitted that his Stoke City side lacked a cutting edge in their 2-0 loss to Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
Goals from Jefferson Montero and Ki Sung-yueng were enough to earn Swansea all three points as Stoke struggled in the final third for long spells before being forced to finish the game with 10 men after Marc Wilson's dismissal.
"We had the majority of possession without really having that cutting edge in the final third. In the second half they pressed us a little bit more," Potters boss Hughes told Sky Sports News.
"Our retention of the ball wasn't quite good enough to get people up the pitch and in the box.
"Our creative play was missing and that was disappointing because I felt it was a real opportunity to get something out of the game."
The defeat leaves Stoke 10th in the Premier League table with three games remaining in their campaign.
