[1] There were major changes to the Stoke squad in the summer of 2017 with the departures of Marko Arnautović, Phil Bardsley, Joselu, Jonathan Walters, Philipp Wollscheid and Glenn Whelan whilst Giannelli Imbula, Bojan Krkić and Marc Muniesa left on season-long loans.

Coming into the team were Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Darren Fletcher, Bruno Martins Indi, Josh Tymon and Kevin Wimmer with Jesé and Kurt Zouma joining on loan.

However their defensive problems returned as heavy defeats against Chelsea (4–0), Manchester City (7–2), Liverpool (3–0), Tottenham Hotspur (5–1) and West Ham United (3–0) saw supporters turn against Mark Hughes.

[14] Stoke began their pre-season with a 1–0 win against Swiss Challenge League side Neuchâtel Xamax with Igor Djuric scoring a late own goal.

[19] Stoke sold Arnautović to West Ham United for a club record fee of £20 million before they beat Amiens SC 1–0 at the Stade de la Licorne, Diouf scoring the only goal.

[25][26] For the season opener at Goodison Park, Mark Hughes decided to play a 5–2–3 formation, giving debuts to new arrivals Darren Fletcher and Kurt Zouma.

Stoke's best chance came in the final minute of the match when Jordan Pickford produced a fine save to deny a long range strike from Xherdan Shaqiri.

A defensive mix up between Ben Foster and Ahmed Hegazi allowed Peter Crouch to head into an empty net to earn Stoke a 1–1 draw.

[31] Hughes gave a debut to his new £18 million defender, Kevin Wimmer for the visit of Manchester United who arrived in the Potteries having won all their first three matches without conceding.

Jesé forced David de Gea into a fine save and from the resulting corner Choupo-Moting scored his second goal and the match ended in a 2–2 draw.

Stoke put in a disappointing performance and lost 2–1 with Christian Atsu and Jamaal Lascelles finding the net either side of a Xherdan Shaqiri strike.

The Saints drew level on 75 minutes through an acrobatic strike from Japanese defender Maya Yoshida, but Stoke claimed victory with Crouch tapping in from close range.

[35][36] Following the international break Stoke faced a daunting trip to title favorites Manchester City and Mark Hughes decided to give a debut to academy graduate Tom Edwards.

[43] Stoke then made the long trip south for their first match at the Falmer Stadium, to play against Brighton & Hove Albion in what was the first top flight meeting between the clubs since 1983.

[52] The next home match against David Moyes' West Ham United was delayed by an hour after a power cut effected the bet365 Stadium and surrounding area.

West Ham took the lead in controversial circumstances as Mark Noble scored from the spot after Manuel Lanzini went down in the area under minimal contact from Pieters and was later charged with diving by the FA.

[53] Stoke failed to get back into the match and further goals from Diafra Sakho and ex-Stoke player Marko Arnautovic lead to more fan unrest towards Hughes.

Joe Allen and Choupo-Moting put Stoke into a 2–0 half time lead against the Baggies but a mistake by Shawcross let in Salomón Rondón to score.

West Brom put Stoke under considerable pressure but a counterattack in the final moments allowed Ramadan Sobhi to score his first Premier League goal to make it 3–1.

City made a terrible start as Tom Ince gave the home side an early lead and then Shawcross had to leave due to injury.

Hughes decided to play a weakened team in order to rest players for the match against relegation rivals Newcastle United on New Years Day and Chelsea went on to win 5–0.

[57] Hughes's decision to rest players against Chelsea backfired as Newcastle United won 1–0, Ayoze Perez scoring the only goal of a poor quality match.

[58] After losing 2–1 to League Two side Coventry City in the FA Cup, on 6 January, Hughes was sacked by the club bringing an end to his four-and-a-half-year spell as manager.

[59] Former Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Paul Lambert was chosen by the board as Hughes' successor.

Despite Stoke putting in an improved performance Man United proved far too strong and won 3–0 with goals from Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Antonio Valencia.

[73] City's slide into the Championship continued after a narrow defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Christian Eriksen scoring twice either side of a goal from Mame Diouf.

Badou Ndiaye had given the Potters an early lead before poor defending allowed Ashley Barnes to score and the match ended in a 1–1 draw, leaving relegation inevitable.

[82] Stoke played Championship side Bristol City in the third round where the team put in a woeful performance and the Robins easily won 2–0, with goals from Famara Diedhiou and Matty Taylor.