Manager Kenny Dalglish made only one change to the team that trounced local rivals Everton 3-0 in midweek, marginalized Argentine winger Maxi Rodriguez replacing the out of form Jordan Henderson. Prior to kick-off, both sets of supporters gave a heart-felt round of applause for Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who tragically collapsed during the Trotters' FA Cup quarter-final tie at Tottenham Hotspur and is currently in intensive care in a London hospital.
With the match firmly put into sobering perspective, the game began in a scrappy manner, as neither side asserted their superiority and claimed the ascendancy. The first meaningful sight of goal came two minutes in, when Maxi, one of the shortest players on the pitch at 5ft 8in, ironically managed to beat the sizeable Stoke defenders in the air to nod marginally over the bar from Steven Gerrard's set piece.The visitors responded 10 minutes later when Shotton swung a cross into the box after receiving the ball back from his surprisingly short throw. His centre found Crouch in space at the far post but the lanky number 25 fortunately headed straight at Pepe Reina.
At that point, it looked likely to be a long afternoon of yet again struggling to break down a regimented defence and failing to combat Stoke's main threat; their aerial prowess. The former was proved incorrect mid-way through the first period, when Luis Suarez exchanged passes with Maxi before smartly firing a first time finish into the bottom corner from 20 yards.Unfortunately, the latter was a little harder to disprove, as Stoke instantly hit back through Peter Crouch. The equaliser came about in controversial circumstances though because, although Stoke's Ryan Shawcross was clearly the last player to touch the ball from a left wing corner, referee Kevin Friend incorrectly awarded another corner to the Potters.
As Ryan Shotton blocked Reina to prevent him challenging for the ball, Etherington whipped a cross in that Crouch simply headed home after escaping the attention of Andy Carroll. Reina furiously but understandably ran out to complain to the referee afterwards and therefore received a yellow card for dissent.
The two goals seemed to open up the contest and certainly created a more entertaining spectacle to enjoy watching. Andy Carroll blazed high into the Kop on the half hour mark, before boyhood Everton fan Jonathan Walters, who netted the only goal from the penalty spot in the League match at the Britannia Stadium towards the start of the season, failed to trouble Reina with his strike after sprinting down the right hand side.
The final goalscoring opportunity of the half arrived after Shawcross was penalised for grabbing hold of Suarez on the edge of the box. Despite the former Manchester United defender's protestations, a free kick was rightly given and Gerrard stood up and saw his effort fly just wide of the upright.
After the interval, Liverpool started the second half the brighter and skipper Steven Gerrard was influential yet again in the centre of midfield, drilling towards goal only for Sorensen to make a save 30 seconds after the restart. The number eight's continued good form, as well as his blossoming partnership with fellow local lad Jay Spearing, is encouraging heading into the business end of the season.
Gerrard was also inadvertently involved in setting up Stewart Downing, another ever-improving player, to score Liverpool's second minutes before the hour mark. The England international, who signed for an estimated £20 million from Aston Villa in the summer, cut in from the right and played an accidental one-two with Gerrard's heel before calmly moving into space and clinically striking past the keeper to restore the Reds' lead.
In response, Stoke boss Tony Pulis introduced former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant in place of Ryan Shotton. Meanwhile, Dutchman Dirk Kuyt replaced Maxi Rodriguez and was involved in the action straight away, firing straight down Sorensen's throat from 20 yards out after a decent passing move from the hosts. Luis Suarez, who was routinely booed and barracked by the travelling fans, then attempted to beat Stoke's Danish stopper with an ambitious effort using the outside of his right foot but the Uruguayan failed to extend Liverpool's lead. With 17 minutes remaining long-throw merchant Rory Delap was brought on in place of Whitehead. The visitor's intention was to utilise their main skills, which lie predominantly in aerial clashes, and bombard the Reds' penalty area in the closing stages. However, the closest they came to equalising for a second time saw Cameron Jerome successfully thwarted by the impressive Martin Kelly when he somehow found space in the box. Apart from that, the Potters failed to truly trouble Reina and the only down side came when both Suarez and Kelly limped off the field with niggling injuries.
Soon after the completion of the 90 minutes Liverpool were drawn to play either Everton or Sunderland in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. A Wembley clash with local rivals Everton is a mouth-watering prospect, however Martin O'Neil's men will also be worthy opponents should they proceed past the Toffees following a replay on Wearside.
As Champions League qualification looks increasingly unlikely, it was crucial that Liverpool continued their exciting progress in the domestic cup competitions. Yesterday's victory was fully deserved and the performance was also encouraging. Kudos to Stoke for putting up a fight and contributing to an engaging cup-tie, but, in the end, nobody could really argue that the result wasn't fair.
Que, sera sera, whatever will be, will be, we're going to Anfield South (again!), que sera sera!
YNWA
No comments:
Post a Comment