Stoke City manager Mark Hughes praised his side's strength in depth following the 2-0 Capital One Cup quarter-final victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

The Welshman made five changes to the side that played in the defeat against Sunderland on Saturday and it paid dividends as the Potters looked comfortable in their victory on home soil on Tuesday night.

"I made the changes tonight not to disrespect the opposition but to give one or two of the lads who have done well for us an opportunity," he said following the win.

"Given the run we have been on and the amount of matches we have played I thought that the game presented me with an opportunity to freshen things up a little bit.

"We have a crucial period coming up with plenty of games over the Christmas and New Year period and it is vital not to burn anybody out at this time of the season.

"The players we brought in are all top players and they have proven themselves domestically and internationally too.

"It shows the strength of the group that we can make the amount of changes that we did and still be able to comfortably win a game against strong opposition."

"That is hugely encouraging for us moving forward. The guys who came in made a real impact just as I knew they would."