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By Jamie Casey Last updated: 19th August 2009
90+4 That was the last action of the match and the scoreline is slightly harsh on the away side he dod cause the Reds problems at times. But Liverpool are more than worthy of their win which should have critics back on their side after that opening day defeat.
90+3 GOAL NGOG! Johnson's deflected cross is parried by Sorensen and there is Ngog doing his job by prodding the ball into an empty net inside the 6 yard box
90+2 Lucas heads the danger clear as Whelan's freekick drops short
90+1 Mascherano is penalised for handball as Whelan prepares to deliver the freekick in towards the big men
90 There will be three additional minutes of injury time
89 Carragher holds the ball up well before Mascherano gives the ball away. Lucas tracks back to win posession back however
88 Ngog is working hard putting the Stoke defence under pressure
86 Voronin shows delightful control before getting an attempt in on goal but the lack of power makes it easy for Sorensen
85 Ngog's first action is to go on a long run before Whelan tackles him in the box to put the ball out for a corner to Liverpool
84 More action on the Liverpool bench as Torres makes way for David Ngog
82 Having just seen a replay of that goal - Gerrard deserves extra credit for a superb turn before delivering that cross
81 Andriy Voronin and Alberto Riera come on for Gerrard and Kuyt
80 Lucas resisted the urge to go down and instead wins the corner as Lawrence picks himself up following an injury
79 That's the goal that will give Liverpool the confidence to see this one out. Slightly harsh on Stoke but Liverpool have been dominating posession in the last 10 minutes
78 GOAL KUYT! Superb team goal by Liverpool - I lost count of the passes but in the end Kuyt gets on the end of a Gerrard cut back to toe in the ball from close range - great build up play though
76 Quater of an hour to go and providing Liverpool keep this hold then now have over the second half, they should see this out for 3 points
75 Sublime control by Torres almost beats Shawcross but the centre half recovers to put the ball out for a corner
75 Delap gets his first chance in the 2nd half to launch in a long throw but the Liverpool defence deal with it comfortably
74 Sorensen wins a race with Benayoun to get there first after Gerrard had played him in - he was quick off his line
72 Shawcross puts the ball into touch once more with another assured aerial win
71 Insua slices his cross horribly as the ball sails wide for another Stoke goalkick
70 Pugh comes on to replace Whitehead meanwhile
70 Benayoun tries from range but his effort flies way off target for a Stoke goal
kick
70 Fuller is flagged offside in his first touch of the game
69 Great save from Sorensen - Kuyts flighted cross comes off Shawcross' head as Sorensen back pedals to tip over
69 Torres wins a corner
68 Liverpool beginning to take control but lets see what the subs can do for the Potters
67 Benayoun almost plays in Torres but Faye intercepts vitally
66 Shawcross clears well for Stoke, he's had quite a good game the centre half
65 Kuyt looks for Torres with a low pass but Shawcross intervenes
64 Double substitution for Stoke as Beattie is replaced by Fuller while Cresswell comes off for Lawrence
63 Etherington brings down Mascherano freekick to the home side
62 Johnson is having a great game. He takes on Higgingbotham and turns him inside out before hitting the target but Sorensen turns it wide at full stretch
61 Beattie tries an audacious effort from all of 40 yards with Reina off his line but the Spaniard gets back well to comfortably save. Great effort though
60 Benayoun is out-muscled by Shawcross as he bears down on goal
59 Benayoun looks for Torres but their wires were crossed as the ball trickles through to Sorensen
58 Kuyt receives the ball from Johnson at a tight angle in the penalty area. The Dutchman drills across the face of goal with no one there to finish
57 Liverpool stroking the ball around well now as they show more signs of composure
56 Johnson wins a corner for the home side
55 Gerrard drills in on goal fairly straight down the middle, Sorensen palms but the follow up is mis-controlled by Kuyt with the goal open - it came at him pretty quick to be fair
54 Kuyt wins a throw in off Delap and Liverpool look to slow things down to re-group
53 Torres has had 9 staples put in that would from the first half by the way
51 Johnson shows again why Liverpool paid so much for him with a great clearence with Delap lurking at the back post. Stoke have opened really well this half
50 Mascherano brings down Whelan for a Stoke freekick
49 Liverpool slightly rattled early on here but Reina has kept Stoke out so far
48 What an amazing save from Reina - Delap drives in a powerful shot from the corner clearance and Reina at full stretch palms away, save of the season so far
48 Reina and Ayala lack communication as the defender heads over for another corner
47 Whelan fires in a corner for Stoke and Faye wins another with his deflected header
46 Players are back out for the second half with no changes as we get the half under way
Reds fan Joe Wheeler thinks his team will end up 4-0 winners in this game. With Sky Bet Joe you can get 5/1 for Gerrard to bag the 3rd goal.
Nick B from Stoke is also unhappy with Cresswell's contributions this term and is calling for Pulis to make a change
Reds fan Lewis Moyes thinks Liverpool need to score as many as possible to improve their goal difference. He's backing Kuyt to net the next goal. Liverpool will need to up their game defensively Lewis if they're to see this one off comfortably, Delap's throw ins are causing Ayala problems
Stoke fan Thomas Frost thinks this game is over and is not impressed with Cresswell's contributions. He wants to see Fuller, Lawrence and Kitson on for Cresswell, Whelan and Beattie for the second half
The referee blows for half-time and that second goal for Liverpool is a massive blow for Tony Pulis. His side have caused problems for the home side despite a bright opening from Liverpool. Rafa Benitez will not be bothered by that as and his side take a 2-0 goal in at the break. Let me know your thoughts on the game by e-mailing jamie.casey@bskyb.com
45+3 Johnson is penalised for a foul on Whelan
45+2 Liverpool have another corner in first half injury time with the crowd urging for more
45 GOAL JOHNSON! Johnson acrobatically nets a rebound after a Kuyt header was saved by Sorensen. A goal on his home debut and he looks delighted with that one
45 Liverpool win a second corner as we approach half time
44 Torres takes on Shawcross and the defender stands up well to make the block as the Spaniard cuts inside, corner to Liverpool
44 Lucas is hacked down but the ref waves play on with Kuyt in posession but his effort is tame and Sorensen makes the save
43 Torres comes back into play. Johnson has posession down the right for Liverpool
42 Good tracking back by Benayoun wins the ball back for Liverpool as Torres re-emerges on the touchline
41 Gerrard chips the ball back to the unmarked Insua who is not expecting the delivery and the chance goes begging
41 Kuyt is leading the line while Torres gets stitched up. Meanwhile Cresswell brings down Johnson for Reds freekick in a dangerous position
40 First corner of the game for Liverpool is headed away by Whitehead
39 The injury has silenced the home crowd but he should be able to continue with some stitching
38 Torres rises to win a header from Shawcross and lands on the floor with blood puring out of his head, the gash will mean some treatment on the sidelines for the Spaniard as play is held up
37 Kuyt wins a freekick this time around 40 yards out
36 Kuyt over runs the ball and is claiming a freekick after being hacked down by Cresswell in the process, throwin in to Stoke is the verdict
35 Mascherano and Carragher are advising young Ayala after he shows more signs of nerves on the ball
34 Etherington fails to put in a good delivery this time and Shawcross is eventually flagged offside
33 Another Stoke chance from a freekick on the wing
33 Liverpool play the offside trap and are successful, Reina made the save from Beattie's header anyhow
32 Lucas fouls Faye on the wing and Stoke have a chance from the freekick
31 Another chance for Delap, Liverpool are giving him far too many chances
31 Johnson tries a snapshot as he beats Whelan to a rebound but his shot is drilled wide, good effort though
30 Beattie meets Delap's cross this time but no one can get onto his flick on and the ball rolls wide for a goal kick
29 Ayala looks to be letting his first start get the better of him as he panics on the ball before sending the ball out for another throw in to Stoke
28 Reina looked unasserted this time as he struggles to get hold of the ball, ultimately he does and the home side survive another Delap special again
27 Ayala concedes another throw with Delap switching sides to take it
26 Insua does well to get onto the end of a Carragher long ball, he drills his cross in but it's too close to Sorensen
26 Creswell brings down Johnson for a Liverpool freekick
25 Mascherano wins the ball back for Liverpool who will be looking to recapture their hold on this game
24 Ayala almost diverts the throw into his own net only for Reina to be well place to capture the ball, the warning signs are there though
23 The Liverpool defence deal well with the threat but Delap has another chance at the opposite side
22 Delap lines up another long throw aimed at Beattie
21 Liverpool counter well and Torres delivers a decent ball in only to find Insua unmarked at the back post but he lacks conviction and slices wide, great opportunity
20 Another Stoke freekick conceded this time by Insua, Stoke are finding a way back into the play here
19 Stoke freekick around 30 yards out wide is delivered well but Reina comes off his line well to punch well clear, great goalkeeping
18 Johnson shows great movement to beat Cresswell and get in a low cross from the byline but Sorensen reads the cross well to intervene
16 Benayoun almost gets on the end of a long ball but it evades him and Stoke have a goal kick
15 Sloppy pass from Mascherano gifts Stoke back posession through a throw in
15 Whitehead almost plays in Wilkinson who was rushing into the area, the pass is overhit however and Reina takes the goalkick
14 Lucas plays it safe by heading the ball safely into the arms of the greatful Reina in the Reds goal
13 Gerrard's cross is cleared by Beattie who gets back well to rise highest
12 Dean Whitehead is late on Mascherano with a high challenge and rightly goes into the book
11 Gerrard delivers and Benayoun's header almost falls for Torres but the Spaniard can't controll and Stoke have a throw in deep in their own half
11 The corner comes to nothing and Torres wins a freekick around 25 yards out on the counter attack
10 The ball falls to Glenn Whelan who drills a shot on goal and wins a corner off the deflection
9 Ayala puts the ball out of play and Delap has a chance to deliver a trademark throw
7 Johnson's crossfield ball is overhit and eludes Torres
6 Just what Benitez would have been looking from his side - an opener before the home crowd could even begin to dread another goalless draw
5 The goal has put Anfield in full voice early on as Liverpool attack once more
4 GOAL TORRES! This time Gerrard's cross finds its way to Torres and he makes no mistake by drilling the ball home low past Sorensen from around 8 yards, Liverpool off to a flyer
3 First big chance falls to Lucas who gets onto the end of clearance from a Gerrard cross, he gets behind it well but it's straight down Sorensen's throat
2 Gerrard plays a diagonal ball towards Kuyt but the ball finds its way to Johnson who wins a throw in deep in the Stoke half
1 Stoke City get us underway attacking the Kop end
Teams are out and almost ready for kick off
Meanwhile David Moore, another Reds fan, is worried for tonight's game and is not overly confident of a win, or a title winning season ahead
Liverpool fan James from Margate reckons they will get come back in style with an 8-1 victory tonight. Yes, thats 8-1 he reckons. It's optimistic James, but if it happens you'll wish you put a bet on it!
Reds fan Adam Ahmed-Hassim is backing his side to bounce back with a win tonight with some unfinished business from last term
By the way Stoke fans, your team are a massive 16/1 with Sky Bet to sneak a win at Anfield tonight
So no place for Martin Skrtel who was deemed unfit by Benitez which means another chance for Ayala to make a name for himself. What do you Liverpool fans make of tonight's prospects, and Potters fans...can you take points of the Reds again this season? Let me know your thoughts jamie.casey@bsyb.com
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Ayala, Insua, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard, Benayoun, Torres Subs: Cavalieri, Voronin, Riera, Babel, Ngog, Kelly, Dossena
Stoke: Sorensen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, Higginbotham, Delap, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington, Beattie, Cresswell. Subs: Simonsen, Griffin, Cort, Lawrence, Fuller, Kitson, Pugh
Referee: Peter Walton
Team news will be with you shortly, stay with us as Liverpool look to get their Premier League title hopes back on track
Live updates will appear here from 2000 BST....
| Cards | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Pepe Reina | 8 | |
| Jamie Carragher | 7 | |
| Emiliano Insua | 5 | |
| Daniel Ayala | 5 | |
| Glen Johnson | 9 | |
| Steven Gerrard | 8 | |
| Lucas | 7 | |
| Javier Mascherano | 5 | |
| Dirk Kuyt | 7 | |
| Fernando Torres | 7 | |
| Yossi Benayoun | 6 | |
| Substitutes | ||
| Diego Cavalieri | ||
| Andrea Dossena | ||
| Martin Kelly | ||
| Albert Riera * | 5 | |
| Andriy Voronin ** | 6 | |
| Ryan Babel | ||
| David N'Gog *** | 7 | |
| Cards | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Sorensen | 6 | |
| Danny Higginbotham | 4 | |
| Abdoulaye Faye | 4 | |
| Ryan Shawcross | 7 | |
| Andy Wilkinson | 4 | |
| Rory Delap | 7 | |
| Dean Whitehead |
|
3 |
| Glenn Whelan | 5 | |
| Matthew Etherington | 4 | |
| Richard Cresswell | 3 | |
| James Beattie | 5 | |
| Substitutes | ||
| Steve Simonsen | ||
| Andy Griffin | ||
| Leon Cort | ||
| Liam Lawrence * | 5 | |
| Danny Pugh ** | 4 | |
| Dave Kitson | ||
| Ricardo Fuller *** | 5 | |
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Sunday 12th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Wolverhampton vs West Brom |
| 16:00 | Aston Villa vs Man City |
| Saturday 25th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs Wolverhampton |
| 15:00 | QPR vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Wigan vs Aston Villa |
| 17:30 | Man City vs Blackburn |
| Sunday 26th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Arsenal vs Tottenham |
| 13:30 | Norwich vs Man Utd |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Swansea |
| Saturday 3rd March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Liverpool vs Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Aston Villa |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | QPR vs Everton |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Norwich |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Chelsea |
| 15:00 | Wigan vs Swansea |
| Sunday 4th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:00 | Newcastle vs Sunderland |
| 14:05 | Fulham vs Wolverhampton |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 11th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Sunderland 1 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Bolton 1 - 2 Wigan | |
| Swansea 2 - 3 Norwich | |
| Everton 2 - 0 Chelsea | |
| Blackburn 3 - 2 QPR | |
| Fulham 2 - 1 Stoke | |
| Tottenham 5 - 0 Newcastle | |
| Monday 6th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Liverpool 0 - 0 Tottenham | |
| Sunday 5th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 2 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Chelsea 3 - 3 Man Utd | |
| Saturday 4th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 7 - 1 Blackburn | |
| West Brom 1 - 2 Swansea | |
| QPR 1 - 2 Wolverhampton | |
| Norwich 2 - 0 Bolton | |
| Stoke 0 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Wigan 1 - 1 Everton | |
| Man City 3 - 0 Fulham | |
| Wednesday 1st February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 2 - 2 QPR | |
| Fulham 1 - 1 West Brom | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 25 | 58 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 24 | 57 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | 53 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 25 | 43 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 25 | 43 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 25 | 42 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 25 | 39 |
| 8 | Norwich City | 25 | 35 |
| 9 | Sunderland | 25 | 33 |
| 10 | Everton | 25 | 33 |
| 11 | Swansea City | 25 | 30 |
| 12 | Fulham | 25 | 30 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 25 | 30 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 24 | 28 |
| 15 | West Bromwich Albion | 24 | 26 |
| 16 | Queens Park Rangers | 25 | 21 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 24 | 21 |
| 18 | Blackburn Rovers | 25 | 21 |
| 19 | Bolton Wanderers | 25 | 20 |
| 20 | Wigan Athletic | 25 | 19 |
With Athletic Bilbao in turmoil, Man Utd should start to pursue Fernando Llorente, says Guillem Balague.
Paul Merson says Birmingham's game with West Brom is almost as important as the Carling Cup final.