Liam Rosenior said he “won’t get carried away” after Hull returned to the play-off fray with a 3-1 win at Stoke.
First-half goals from Aaron Connolly – his fifth of the season – and Adama Traore handed the Tigers control just after the half-hour mark.
And the hosts’ miserable afternoon was compounded when Regan Slater’s strike deflected off Lynden Gooch and looped into his own net.
The returning Andre Vidigal notched a Potters consolation late on, but it was too little, too late as their winless run stretched to five league games.
Hull coasted to a seventh game unbeaten as they clinched a third successive away win in the Championship for the first time since 2013.
“I’m really happy,” said Rosenior, who marked the 50th game of his managerial career with victory.
“It always feels good when you win away from home and more pleasing than just the win was the performance.
“Everyone was excellent; we showed energy and confidence in the way that we played in possession and we were difficult to break down.
“The signs are really good, but the only stat that matters to me is where we finish at the end of the season.
“It’s brilliant to get the win but it has to be towards something so I won’t get carried away.
“We’re in a good place; we don’t need to focus on the results because they come as a product of our performances and they’ve been consistent this season.”
Goal-scorer Connolly and team-mate Jean Michael Seri clashed at half-time, but Rosenior paid tribute to their attitudes.
He added: “They were arguing and they want to win. I’ve been asking for that from them for the whole year that I’ve been here.
“You need to be demanding with each other; they argued and then they hugged and made up and they’re best mates again.
“You need to fall out with each other at times because it makes you better and makes you successful; it’s perfect and that’s the mentality I want.”
Meanwhile, it was another disappointing afternoon for Stoke as they slumped closer to the relegation zone.
“I think the best team won. It’s the poorest we’ve been tactically since I’ve been here,” boss Alex Neil admitted.
“You look at the game today and think either our set-up wasn’t good enough or we didn’t commit to it or a combination of both.
“We lacked belief in doing it today and when you lack belief it looks a bit of a dog’s dinner.
“We showed a lack of confidence – which is the first time I’ve seen that from them this season – so that was disappointing.
“I don’t ever make any qualms with what fans want to do or if they want to boo or voice their frustration.
“They’re here to support their team and see their team win; if they don’t win, particularly in modern football, it’s either one extreme or the other.
“If you win a game, you’re going up. If you lose a game, you’re getting relegated, so that’s the nature of football now.
“How they voice their opinion, I don’t have any views on it whatsoever; I just want to get the team performing well and trying to win.
“For us, we need that one win that’s going to lift some of the lads and then hopefully we can put a decent run together.”
