Sturridge slays Villains in Stoke re-run

Liverpool fans could be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu.

Thankfully not the usual sense of déjà vu that often haunts Kopites after the Reds commit the same old mistakes to lose all-important points but, rather, the satisfaction that comes from watching Brendan Rodgers’ men produce a near carbon-copy of their opening day triumph.

The opposition, Aston Villa rather than Stoke City, and the venue, Villa Park rather than Anfield, may have been different but the story line of the match was pleasingly familiar. A dominant first half from Liverpool was rewarded with a fine strike from Daniel Sturridge, which ultimately proved to be the winner as the Reds frustratingly failed to add to their advantage but stood firm and held onto their fragile lead, with the help of a fantastic late save from new stopper Simon Mignolet.

Admittedly, there were some differences between the Reds’ two opening fixtures. Stoke City entered the first match of the season lacking momentum after a disappointing 2012/2013 season and struggling to implement new manager Mark Hughes’ intended attacking reforms. Although Aston Villa were similarly poor last season, coming perilously close to relegation, they have hit the ground running this season, impressing in two trips to the capital. First, they shocked the Emirates and stole the headlines on the opening day of the season by beating Arsenal 3-1. Then, they ran Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea mighty close in midweek, despite ultimately succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge. As a result, they put up more of a fight than the Potters and managed to threaten for most of the second half, not just the last 15 or 20 minutes.

However, their recent endeavours may have left Aston Villa tired, as they struggled to get into the game during the opening stages of their first home fixture, Liverpool enjoying a remarkable 75% of possession and making almost 300 passes during the first half hour, nearly 200 more than their hosts. Having opted to pick an unchanged starting line-up, Rodgers reaped the rewards, witnessing his attack continue to gel and interchange with fluidity, Aspas and Sturridge taking turns to be the main striker and Coutinho and Henderson buzzing around industriously and harmoniously in behind them.

That co-operation and creativity was on display in the 21st minute, as Coutinho, who was called the heir to King Kenny’s throne by Peter Beardsley this week, and Sturridge, who has been revelling in the striking role in which Rodgers has deployed him in the absence of the suspended Suarez, combined wonderfully to put Liverpool in front. An intelligent dummy from the Brazilian Coutinho worked space in the Villa box for Sturridge, who glided effortlessly past a number of challenges before firing the ball into the roof of the net from yards out.

Sturridge scores his second of the season vs Villa

Villa responded, though, and came back into the contest towards the end of the first half. Five minutes before the break Kolo Toure, who has impressed so many supporters since signing on a free transfer, made a fantastic saving challenge and, when Benteke finally managed to escape his meticulous attention, Mignolet was on hand to palm away his curled effort. Weimann then powered the ball over the bar on the stroke of half time, as Villa, who had been crushed by Liverpool’s domineering possession football, showed signs of causing the Merseysiders’ problems.

Raising the tempo after the interval, the Villains pushed forward in pursuit of an equaliser, testing the visitors’ defence and forcing them to play on the counter. Thankfully, Liverpool’s back four remained resolute and strong, putting in a commendable performance, while Mignolet made a few good saves as well to keep the hosts at bay. Westwood struck high over the bar twice for the Midlanders, before Gerrard slid in to make an excellent block from substitute Karim El Ahmadi’s shot.

It was the front pair of Benteke and Agbonlahor who posed the greatest threat to Liverpool’s lead, though. After the former had headed wide, the latter produced an instant left-footed shot that rolled just wide, as Villa gained confidence and the away side showed signs of struggling under the pressure.

This was seen in the closing stages when both the good and the bad of Simon Mignolet were put on display. First, he did well to save Tonev’s rasping shot from the edge of the box. Then, he evidenced his poor distribution skills, unwisely passing to the under-pressure Agger, whose rushed back pass forced his keeper to pointlessly concede a corner, which thankfully ultimately came to nothing.

Mignolet was responsible for saving Liverpool two points, though, as he produced an excellent save three minutes from time to deny Benteke what seemed like an inevitable leveller. The Belgian striker broke clear of the Reds’ defence and would have had the entire goal to aim at had Toure not heroically thrown himself in his direction at the last moment, narrowing his shooting angle. A top notch save from the former Sunderland stopper was still required and Mignolet produced the goods, launching himself to his left to parry Benteke’s effort behind.

Toure already appears an ideal replacement for Carragher

At the other end, Sturridge went down under Guzan’s challenge in the penalty area but referee Mark Clattenburg was probably right to refuse to point to the spot. In the end, the travelling Kop was just delighted to hear Clattenburg’s final whistle bring to a close a challenging contest.

“I feel we've got a lot of creativity in the team, but we can't always be the Harlem Globetrotters! It's about winning and for us, a 1-0 is as good as a 4-0 or 5-0.” Brendan Rodgers

Critics can continue to correctly point out that Liverpool lack a cutting edge up front and must learn to get the second goal earlier in matches in order to kill teams off, but it’s hard to be critical after the Reds have won their first two matches in the season for the first time in five years. At this stage of the season, it’s all about winning games by hook or by crook and getting as many points on the board as possible. Three or four goal victories can wait until later in the season, when momentum has been gathered.

For now, Brendan Rodgers can be satisfied with how his troops have begun the campaign and hopefully lead his side to a convincing win over Notts County at Anfield in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday in order to build up yet more confidence ahead of Manchester United’s visit to Anfield next Sunday.

YNWA