Stoke City and Watford shared the points in a goalless stalemate on Wednesday night.

Stoke had the best chance to break the deadlock just after the hour mark when Orestis Karnezis blocked Xherdan Shaqiri's driven shot and substitute Peter Crouch headed the rebound straight at the goalkeeper.

The Potters, who introduced their £14m new midfield signing Badou Ndiaye on the pitch at half-time, moved up two places in the table from 18th to 16th.

A tight contest opened up in the last 15 minutes as both teams committed men forward in search of a winner, with substitute Peter Crouch going close for the hosts and Doucoure shooting wide.

But Gracia too can point to a strong defensive display from his new players, who had more possession than the home side and saw Barcelona loanee Gerard Deulofeu enjoy a lively debut.