Robert Huth dedicated his winner for Stoke City against Aston Villa to manager Tony Pulis.

The big German immediately said "that one is for you gaffer" after Pulis had dashed to South Wales and back following the death of his mother earlier in the day.

He reached the Britannia Stadium just after kick-off, but stayed incognito before greeting his players at half-time and resuming his customary place on the touchline in the second-half.

"It is a terrible thing that has happened to the gaffer and his family," Huth told The Sentinel, "so of course I want to dedicate my goal and our win to them.

"We knew he had gone in the morning to try to be with his family and we knew his mum was in trouble, but we didn't know the extent of it.

"We wanted to do well for him, but it was a surprise to see him back in the dressing room at half-time. He had some tough words for us.

"We felt we did all right in the first-half, but he didn't. In the second-half we got at them even more and got the win we deserved."