Pulis relieved as cavalry push Stoke to safety

Stoke manager Tony Pulis dismissed talk of vindication after his side ended a four-game losing run in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Swansea at the Britannia Stadium yesterday.

Pulis was furious with the reaction to his decision to leave nine first-team players at home for the midweek trip to Valencia, where a 1-0 defeat sent them tumbling out of the Europa League.

All those players were back in a starting line-up yesterday that showed 11 changes from the Mestalla, and first-half headers from Matthew Upson and Peter Crouch earned all three points.