The ghosts of Premier League past were just about exorcised with Liverpool edging out Stoke City with a 1-0 win at the Britannia. Stoke City were expected to give Liverpool’s new look team a stern test and they did start the brighter of the two, Glen Johnson had the best chance for Stoke in the first half but shot wide from within the penalty box. Charlie Adam then tried his luck with a vicious free kick which evaded everyone and Mignolet had to pull off a magnificent save. Liverpool’s new signings didn’t do much and it took a late wonder goal from Philippe Coutinho to break the deadlock as he smashed home the winner.
Liverpool finally got the win over Stoke which could serve them well as they have some tough away games coming up. Meanwhile Stoke shouldn’t be disheartened with the result as they should have gotten a point from the game. We look back at the game and provide five talking points from Liverpool’s win.
An old boy does it for Liverpool
Firmino, Benteke and the likes might have been brought in to give Liverpool more attacking flair but it was their star player from last season, Philippe Coutinho who continued his amazing form from last season as he lashed in the winner from way outside the box. Coutinho was largely shackled by the Stoke defence but one moment of magic changed the game and gave Liverpool the win.
Liverpool need to work on their attack
While Coutinho won the game for Liverpool, the new look attack still needs a bit of work. Christian Benteke did a lot of hard work at the front but he rarely looked threatening to the Stoke defence and Liverpool didn’t play to the Belgian’s strengths. Benteke did start linking up with Coutinho later on in the game but Rodgers has to utilise Benteke better as the season progresses.
Stoke will be a tough place to visit
Mark Hughes deserves a lot of respect from all Premier League teams and followers, his team is tough to play against but not in a physical manner, like the previous Stoke team though. Hughes has made them attractive with the signings of Afellay and Van Ginkel should make them better. He could lead them into the top half this season as well, which would be a great achievement for a club who is progressing under a good manager.
Big money does not equal goals
Liverpool spent a total of over £50 million on two new boys Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke, both players did their best but it just was not enough for them to make the difference. It could just be the start of the season and a bit of rustiness but the longer the pair go without linking and sparking the league up, the greater the number of questions will arise over the signings of the players and more importantly, the money spent.
Defence wins over attack
Liverpool had a shaky defence last season, while Stoke are known to be a tough team to beat. Both teams would be happy with their defensive displays as that aspect nullified the attacks from both teams. Liverpool would be extremely pleased with the performance of the defence and of Dejan Lovren, who has been criticised a lot for his displays last season and should hopefully make them a better defensive unit as the season progresses.