EPL: Mark Hughes sacked as Stoke City manager

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has been sacked (Reuters)

London: Mark Hughes has been fired as manager of the English Premier League side Stoke City, just hours after the club's shock 1-2 defeat to League Two Coventry City in their FA Cup third-round match.

The club said in a statement on Saturday: "Stoke City can confirm that the contract of manager Mark Hughes has been terminated with immediate effect."

Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying: "We would like to thank Mark for all he has achieved for the club over the last four and a half years, notably in guiding us to three successive ninth-place finishes in the Premier League."

Stoke City, who have suffered five defeats in seven Premier League games and are third bottom on the table, will "appoint a new manager as soon as possible".

Hughes, 54, a former Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and QPR boss, succeeded Tony Pulis at Stoke in May 2013 and was the fourth longest-serving manager at a Premier League club.