Soccer-Hughes feels Stokes deserved a point against Liverpool

Aug 10 (Reuters) - Stoke City matched their fancied opponents Liverpool on Sunday and did not deserve to lose their Premier League opener, according to manager Mark Hughes. In a game which saw few chances created, Stoke conceded in the 86th minute of the game from a brilliant 25-yard strike from Liverpool midfielder Philipe Coutinho. "It was a game of very few chances to be perfectly honest, and I don't think anybody inside the stadium will have walked away thinking Liverpool deserved to win it," the Welshman told the club website (www.stokecityfc.com). "In the end Coutinho has produced a moment of absolute brilliance and that has proven to be the difference between two very even sides I would suggest. "It's hard for the guys to accept the result today because we were very even, and I didn't think they created anything of any real note today. "I think that both teams had pretty much accepted that the game was going to end in a draw, and I think we would have all been satisfied with that." Hughes felt despite Liverpool spending over 70 million pounds reportedly in the summer it did not translate in their performance on the pitch. "We matched them toe-to-toe today; they have spent a lot of money during the summer and I didn't think that was evident at all given both sides' performances," the 51-year-old added. Hughes was, however, encouraged by the performance of three of his new recruits but acknowledged it will take a few weeks until they fully find their feet at the club. "I thought Ibrahim Afellay was superb for us, but he tired towards the end, Marco van Ginkel produced a good performance too and Glen Johnson just reminded everybody what he has been for a long, long time, a very accomplished full-back," he said. "It will take four or five games until the guys are right up to speed, but we always knew that would be the case. That said, I was very encouraged with what I saw today." Meanwhile, Inter Milan midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, who has been heavily linked with the club, was spotted at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday. "It's fair to say we are hopeful we can do something. But until he's at the training ground with a shirt on, you never know," Hughes was quoted as saying to the Stoke Sentinel. "By virtue of the fact he's here, it shows that we are encouraged and hopeful, but these days it's never easy and the more it goes on the more cautious you are." (Reporting by Shravanth V in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)