Stoke City finished 12 points ahead of Sunderland who battled until the end of the season to avoid relegation after they reached the final of the League Cup.

The Potters ended their long association with Tony Pulis and appointed Mark Hughes, while the Black Cats sacked Paolo di Canio and engaged the services of Gustavo Poyet who had been in charge of Championship side Brighton.

This is Hughes’s sixth stop as manager, starting in Wales as national boss before spells with Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

Uruguayan Poyet was part of the backroom staff at Swindon, Leeds and Tottenham before taking over at Brighton. He was named manager at the Stadium of Light in October 2013.

Stoke have been a mid-table side since their promotion to the Premier League in 2008-09.

Yet, in 2013-14, they finished ninth, pushing for a place in European competitions.

Hughes brought a noticeable shift in the team’s playing style as Stoke secured a top-10 finish.

At home, Stoke claimed the scalps of Manchester United and Arsenal, as well as a dramatic 3-2 win over Chelsea with the killer goal coming from fans’ favourite Oussama Assaidi.

Defender Ryan Shawcross was again named the club’s player of the year. He also earned his first England cap last season.

The mercurial Di Canio was soon at loggerheads with the board, making his exit inevitable.

At one time, Poyet also seemed to be walking on a tightrope but Sunderland’s League Cup final appearance at Wembley and the never-say-die attitude in the relegation fight made the Uruguayan a hero in the northeast.

The Black Cats looked to have fallen off the edge several times but a magnificent end to an otherwise poor campaign kept them afloat.

Italian striker Fabio Borini, on loan from Liverpool, scored crucial goals and was voted as the fans’ player of the year.

Wembley final

Sunderland reached the 2014 League Cup final after beating Manchester United on penalties in the semi-finals.

Sunderland took a 2-1 lead at Old Trafford for the second leg and United levelled the tie after a 2-1 home win, courtesy of Javier Hernandez’s goal in the final minute of extra-time. Poyet’s men converted two penalties to United’s one in the shoot-out marked by poor finishing.

In the final, Sunderland were beaten by Man. City 3-1.

In the FA Cup, the Black Cats went out in the quarter-finals, losing 3-0 at Hull City.

After beating Birmingham on penalties following a 4-4 draw, Stoke came a cropper at the Britannia Stadium, going down 0-2 to Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

In the FA Cup, they were eliminated by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, 0-1 in the fourth round.

Premier League results

Stoke City

August
Away vs Liverpool 0-1.
Home vs Crystal Palace 2-1 (Adam, Shawcross).
Away vs West Ham 1-0 (Pennant).

September
Home vs Manchester City 0-0.
Away vs Arsenal 1-3 (Cameron).
Home vs Norwich 0-1.

October
Away vs Fulham 0-1.
Home vs West Brom 0-0.
Away vs Manchester United 2-3 (Crouch, Arnautovic).

November
Home vs Southampton 1-1 (Begovic).
Away vs Swansea 3-3 (Walters, Ireland, Adam pen).
Home vs Sunderland 2-0 (Adam, N’Zonzi).
Away vs Everton 0-4.

December
Home vs Cardiff 0-0.
Home vs Chelsea 3-2 (Crouch, Ireland, Assaidi).
Away vs Hull 0-0.
Home vs Aston Villa 2-1 (Adam, Crouch).
Away vs Newcastle 1-5 (Assaidi).
Away vs Tottenham 0-3.

January
Home vs Everton 1-1 (Assaidi).
Home vs Liverpool 3-5 (Adam, Walters, Crouch).
Away vs Crystal Palace 0-1.
Away vs Sunderland 0-1.

February
Home vs Manchester United 2-1 (Adam 2).
Away vs Southampton 2-2 (Odem-wingie, Crouch).
Home vs Swansea 1-1 (Crouch).
Away vs Manchester City 0-1.

March
Home vs Arsenal 1-0 (Walters pen).
Away vs Norwich 1-1 (Walters pen).
Home vs West Ham 3-1 (Odemwingie 2, Arnautovic).
Away vs Aston Villa 4-1 (Odemwingie, Crouch, N’Zonzi, Cameron).
Home vs Hull 1-0 (Odemwingie).

April
Away vs Chelsea 0-3.
Home vs Newcastle 1-0 (Pieters).
Away vs Cardiff 1-1 (Arnautovic pen).
Home vs Tottenham 0-1.

May
Home vs Fulham 4-1 (Odemwingie, Arnautovic, Assaidi, Walters).
Away vs West Brom 2-1 (McAuley og, Adam).

Sunderland

August
Home vs Fulham 0-1.
Away vs Southampton 1-1 (Giaccherini).
Away vs Crystal Palace 1-3 (Fletcher).

September
Home vs Arsenal 1-3 (Gardner pen).
Away vs West Brom 0-3.
Home vs Liverpool 1-3 (Giaccherini).

October
Home vs Manchester United 1-2 (Gardner).
Away vs Swansea 0-4.
Home vs Newcastle 2-1 (Fletcher, Borini).

November
Away vs Hull 0-1.
Home vs Manchester City 1-0 (Bardsley).
Away vs Stoke 0-2.
Away vs Aston Villa 0-0.

December
Home vs Chelsea 3-4 (Altidore, O’Shea, Bardsley).
Home vs Tottenham 1-2 (Johnson).
Away vs West Ham 0-0.
Home vs Norwich 0-0.
Away vs Everton 1-0 (Yueng pen).
Away vs Cardiff 2-2 (Fletcher, Colback).

January
Home vs Aston Villa 0-1.
Away vs Fulham 4-1 (Johnson 3, 1 pen, Yueng).
Home vs Southampton 2-2 (Borini, Johnson).
Home vs Stoke 1-0 (Johnson).

February
Away vs Newcastle 3-0 (Borini pen, Johnson, Colback).
Home vs Hull 0-2.
Away vs Arsenal 1-4 (Giaccherini).

March
Home vs Crystal Palace 0-0.
Away vs Norwich 0-2.
Away vs Liverpool 1-2 (Ki).

April
Home vs West Ham 1-2 (Johnson).
Away vs Tottenham 1-5 (Cattermole).
Home vs Everton 0-1.
Away vs Manchester City 2-2 (Wickham 2).
Away vs Chelsea 2-1 (Wickham, Borini pen).
Home vs Cardiff 4-0 (Wickham 2, Borini pen, Giaccherini).

May
Away vs Manchester United 1-0 (Larsson).
Home vs West Brom 2-0 (Colback, Borini).
Home vs Swansea 1-3 (Borini).

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