(Reuters) - STOKE CITY 1 BOURNEMOUTH 2
Winger Junior Stanislas was involved in two early goals as Bournemouth collected their first points on the road with a 2-1 victory over Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Eddie Howe's side went ahead when Stanislas set up a neat layoff for midfielder Andrew Surman, who found the net with a left-footed drive from the edge of the box.
The visitors doubled their lead inside 20 minutes at the bet365 stadium after Benik Afobe was unceremoniously hacked down in the box by Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross and Stanislas stepped up to convert the resulting penalty for his first goal of the season.
Mark Hughes's Stoke switched to a more direct style of play in the second half and were rewarded with a goal through striker Mame Biram Diouf, but the lack of meaningful chances in the final phase meant the hosts suffered their fourth league defeat in their last five games.
Howe praised Bournemouth's collective effort at the back in the second half, having coped with the aerial threat of striker Peter Crouch, who was introduced by the hosts in the 58th minute.
"We showed that we have the tools to win in this league. The second half seemed like an eternity, we were under pressure but the back five did very well," he said after the match.
"Our defence stood up to the physical challenge of Peter Crouch very well. It's a special win."
Hughes believed the wet and windy conditions had an impact on Stoke's performance in the first half.
"We didn't cope with the conditions in the first half and made mistakes. It was hard to get out," said Hughes, after Stoke provisionally dropped into the relegation zone.
"Second half we had the wind at our backs but we couldn't find the final touch that we needed."
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
