Hull City missed a chance to move out of the relegation zone as rock-solid Stoke eased into the top half of the table with a typically industrious 2-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium.
An early goal by Ricardo Fuller and a late strike from Liam Lawrence gave Tony Pulis' team a comfortable three points as the visitors failed to test home keeper Thomas Sorensen.
Stoke made a confident start and took a sixth-minute lead after some poor defending by a Hull rearguard which leaked its 65th league goal of the season.
Dave Kitson leapt above Steven Mouyokolo to head on Robert Huth's long ball and Fuller stole a march on Paul McShane, who got caught on the wrong side of his man.
McShane tried to recover his ground, but Fuller sped clear to dink a right-foot shot past the advancing Boaz Myhill and into the corner of the net.
Huth had a chance to add a second when he drove the loose ball too high as the visitors struggled to clear a long throw from Rory Delap.
Hull were offering next to nothing as an attacking force and it looked to be only a matter of time before Stoke would add a second.
A series of corners and Delap throws put the visitors under further pressure, but they held out for the remainder of a mostly uninspiring first half.
Hull made a brighter start to the second period and Craig Fagan should have done better when a heavy first touch denied him a clear sight of goal.
And Jimmy Bullard should have done better than blast a free-kick into the defensive wall after Abdoulaye Faye fouled Richard Garcia 20 yards out.
Iain Dowie introduced Geovanni for Dean Marney in an attempt to give his side further momentum and the Brazilian almost set up a 70th minute equaliser.
Geovanni cut the ball back into the path of Fagan whose shot, along with a follow up effort from George Boateng, was blocked by a defender.
But Hull had used all three of their substitutes by the 78th minutes when Boateng was stretchered off after he was accidentally kicked in the face by Sanli Tuncay.
Tuncay's right boot made contact with the midfielder's chin as he attempted an overhead kick and Boateng, who was knocked unconscious, was treated for several minutes before he was taken from the field.
Turkey international Tuncay should have added a second for Stoke against the 10 men when he blazed wide with Myhill out of his goal.
But it was all over in the final minute of normal time when Lawrence side-footed a clinical finish after a neat move involving Mamady Sidibe, Tuncay and Matthew Etherington.