After conceding an early goal, Liverpool bounced back emphatically to defeat Stoke City 4-1 at Anfield in an exciting encounter on Tuesday. The Potters took the lead on the evening after Jon Walters headed in past Simon Mignolet from a tight angle. However, the home side, after looking subdued for the first quarter of the game, stepped on the gas and after a period of sustained pressure, Adam Lallana scored a brilliant goal to bring the Reds level in the 35th minute. And soon they were ahead, with Roberto Firmino slotting in a low left-footed drive on the stroke of half-time.
Stoke looked like they would cause problems for the home side post the restart, but a mistake from Gianelli Imbula in the midfield led to Divock Origi sending in a low cross that the Stoke midfielder put into his own net. And substitute Daniel Sturridge piled the misery on Mark Hughes’ side capitalizing on an erroneous back pass from Ryan Shawcross to make it four for Liverpool.
With the win, Jurgen Klopp’s men return to the second place in the league table and sit 6 points behind leaders Chelsea. Here we take a look how each player fared on the evening:
Simon Mignolet – 6
Should have done better to keep Walter’s header out after getting a hand to the ball. Other than that, he was a commanding presence in the area, coming out and collecting aerial balls with relative ease.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6
Was guilty of not closing down Erik Pieters for the cross that led to the opener. However, improved rapidly as the game passed and offered much more going forward in the second half.
Dejan Lovren – 6
Lost Walters for the goal in the first half. Looked shaky going up against Crouch and Walters, but improved with the game and looked much more solid post the break with his team in the ascendancy.
Ragnar Klavan – 6
Made some important blocks throughout the game, none more so than the clearance off the line from Pieters’ shot with the score at 1-0. Looked comfortable in the second period as the Stoke threat reduced.
James Milner – 8
Another excellent display at left-back from the Englishman. Very solid defensively, Milner ran up and down the flank causing big problems to Mame Diouf and Glen Johnson with his forays and link-up with the attackers. Set Firmino up for the second goal. Makes it look so easy.
Jordan Henderson – 7
Kept the midfield ticking, won the ball with some tough tackles and was always present to help out in the attack. Picked out Origi with a lovely pass in the build-up to the third goal. An all-round performance from the Liverpool captain
Giorgino Wijnaldum – 6
Kept things simple in the centre of the park despite struggling against his Stoke counterparts early in the game. Efficient without having a great impact.
Adam Lallana – 8
The former Southampton star posed a constant threat to the Stoke defence with his piercing runs into the box and excellent link-ups in and around the box. Always managed to create spaces when none seemed available and managed to score the equalizer from what seemed to be a very tight angle. A joy to watch on the field.
Sadio Mane – 8
The summer signing continues to have a huge impact for the Reds in the attacking third. A livewire throughout the game as he asked plenty of questions of the Stoke defenders and was involved in two goals for the home team.
Roberto Firmino – 7
Was a danger coming in from the left-flank. Popped up in dangerous areas regularly and put Liverpool ahead with a good low effort close to half-time.
Divock Origi – 7
Another outstanding performer for Klopp’s team on the evening. Was involved in the build-up for the first goal and it was his cross that Imbula scored the own goal from.
Substitutes
Daniel Sturridge – 7
Came on for Origi with 20 minutes left to play and left his mark on the game scoring the fourth goal for the Reds. It was Sturridge’s first league goal of the season.
Emre Can – 6
Replaced Lallana in the 69th minute and did his job well in the midfield.
Alberto Moreno – 6
Replaced Firmino with 11 minutes left on the clock. Got in impressive positions in the attacking third. May prove to be a decent option for Liverpool to consider on the left-wing.