The midfielder made his 50th Premier League appearance for the Eagles in last week’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, playing in an unorthodox supporting role behind striker Odsonne Edouard, from where he hassled and harried the opposing defenders.
“We needed a response from the Newcastle game – the manner in which we lost that game wasn't good enough, considering how we've done this season – so I think the response was there," Hughes said.
“Against these top teams, you need to be so detailed in how you're playing. If you make one small mistake, whether that's tactically or otherwise, they're going to punish you. And in the end, Tottenham did in the second-half.
“Every game hurts when you lose. But I think when you look at the first-half, we performed really well. The game plan worked to a T, we just couldn't make it count going forward. We had a couple of half chances. But like I said, if you lose concentration for just a split second against these teams, they're going to take advantage.
“We've got to make sure that we can't keep talking about reactions to poor performances. That's got to be a one-off. The gaffer’s made that clear, so we go into this weekend confident we can take three points.”