Stoke City piled more misery onto Alan Pardew and Newcastle United with a 1-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium this evening.

Peter Crouch netted the only goal of the game for the hosts as he guided a fine header into the corner having been picked out by Victor Moses.

Marko Arnautovic came within inches of doubling his side's lead at the start of the second half when he hit the post, while Jack Colback almost rescued a point late on for the visitors when he struck the crossbar.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at another miserable evening for the winless Magpies.

Match statistics

Stoke
Shots: 12
On target: 3
Possession: 44%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 20

Newcastle
Shots: 16
On target: 1
Possession: 56%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 15

Was the result fair?

Newcastle may have had more possession and more shots, but there is little doubt that Stoke were worthy winners this evening. Mark Hughes went into the match with a clear gameplan, and it worked to perfection as the Magpies failed to breach a stubborn Stoke backline.

The Potters were happy to let Newcastle have more of the ball after they had taken the lead, opting to hit the visitors on the break, which they did to great effect on a number of occasions. Newcastle managed just one shot on target, and even that was an effort from range as Daryl Janmaat tested Asmir Begovic before the break.

Stoke were largely on top in the second half and could have doubled their advantage when Arnautovic hit the post early on. Newcastle did spurn a glorious chance to share the spoils when Colback hit the crossbar, but that would have been unfair on a Stoke side that coped comfortably with the Magpies for the vast majority of the night.

Stoke's performance

They didn't exactly set the world alight, but this was a professional and effective job from the hosts. As soon as they took the lead they set about protecting it, allowing Newcastle to have the lion's share of the possession and hitting them on the break time after time.

It was the speed of the counter-attack that caught the Magpies out, with Moses particularly dangerous in the first half. They saw a bit more of the ball in the second half and came out firing, pushing for a second that would have killed the game off even at that stage.

They will come up against tougher tests than what was a poor Newcastle outfit this season, but Hughes will be delighted with how his side carried out his gameplan today. They were very solid defensively, with only one real lapse in concentration, and also threatened in attack on a number of occasions. They finally have their first win and goal at home this season, and they were worthy of it.

Newcastle's performance

Simply put, this was a miserable evening for Newcastle. They may have only lost by a solitary goal, but the lack of creativity and excitement in the team would have been very worrying for the fans to see. The team seemed uninspired and uninterested, as if they never truly believed that they could win this match.

They actually played some decent football at times in the first half, but all of it came in front of the Stoke defence. They only got behind the backline once, and Colback was unable to make the most of a Ryan Shawcross mistake as he hit the crossbar from close range.

That could well have been enough to rescue a point - and perhaps even rescue Pardew his job. Mike Ashley has a big decision to make following such a flat performance, which will be even more disappointing for him than the result. Six games without a win to start the Premier League season is simply not good enough for a club like Newcastle, and Pardew must be running out of lives now.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Victor Moses: Moses has made a big impact since his arrival at the Britannia Stadium this summer, and he was in fine form again this evening. Stoke's ploy of hitting Newcastle on the break worked time after time, and it was Moses who was at the centre of the vast majority of those counter-attacks. He was a constant threat, and ended the match with an assist to his name having provided the cross for Crouch to nod home.

Biggest gaffe

There is only one winner here. We will see quite how costly Colback's miss will prove to be for Pardew in the coming days, but it certainly cost his side a share of the spoils tonight. Having been gifted the ball right on the edge of the six-yard box by a Shawcross error, Colback fired his close-range volley against the crossbar when he simply had to score. It was a sitter.

Referee performance

Craig Pawson did not endear himself to the home crowd this evening, largely due to a penalty he failed to award to Moses. The winger was brought down inside the area by Yoann Gouffran, who got none of the ball, but the referee decided against pointing to the spot when he should have.

What next?

Stoke: Next up for the Potters is another trip to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland, this time in the Premier League next Saturday.

Newcastle: Newcastle are also in action on Saturday, travelling to the Liberty Stadium to take on Swansea City.