Stoke City boss Mark Hughes was pleased to see Xherdan Shaqiri score in their 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough.

Hughes has challenged Shaqiri to establish himself as a match-winner after seeing him snatch a 1-1 draw for Stoke at promoted Middlesbrough with a brilliant free-kick.

Asked if a man of his talent should make more telling contributions, manager Hughes said: "It's a big year for Shaq, I think he senses that, but he's got the benefit of having a full season in the Premier League, and it's more difficult for creative players in the Premier League.

"You can bring centre-halves, full-backs, midfield players from different countries and different leagues and it's a little bit easier to integrate them. The pressure on them to produce and win games for you isn't as high as it is for creative players like Shaq.

"This year, he will benefit immensely from the year he had last year, and we will reap the benefits. We are starting to see that now."

Shaqiri's free-kick cancelled out former Manchester City frontman Alvaro Negredo's 11th-minute opener on his Middlesbrough debut.

Hughes said: "He's a good player. He's done it throughout his career and we're grateful for the strike. He has that ability - he does that in training every single day, so he was due one."