adminPhilippe Coutinho’s stunning long-range strike gave Liverpool a late victory over Stoke on the opening weekend. The match was a lacklustre Premier League encounter until the Brazilian’s magic four minutes from the end. Former Liverpool man Glen Johnson could have put his new side in front in the first half, but skewed his shot over the bar from 12 yards out.
Charlie Adam’s long-range free-kick almost sneaked in at the back post but was pushed away by Simon Mignolet.
These two sides met on the final day of last season, when Stoke’s 6-1 was Liverpool’s heaviest defeat since 1963.
It meant Mark Hughes’ side ended the campaign with 54 points, their highest total in the top flight.
Despite last campaign’s embarrassing result, Liverpool’s owners backed Brendan Rodgers and kept him as manager, so have things improved?
Although victorious this time round, Liverpool have work to do on how to bed together their attacking players.
Christian Benteke touched the ball just five times in the penalty area, and will need to improve as he faces competition from substitute Roberto Firmino – who had a run out in the last 15 minutes – and Danny Ings. Daniel Sturridge will add to the fight for places when he returns from injury next month.
Meanwhile, Stoke are an uncompromising outfit under Mark Hughes, with new boys Ibrahim Afellay and Marco van Ginkel giving extra class to a side who were undone by a special strike.
Afellay was brought in on a free transfer from Barcelona and looks to be a player who will excite the Britannia Stadium crowd. His neat footwork was generously applauded by the fans, while his composure on the ball and attacking prowess will give Stoke extra incentive in the final third.
Liverpool full-backs Nathaniel Clyne and 18-year-old Joe Gomez both impressed, performing solidly when called up, while Stoke’s Johnson, against the club he played 200 times for, had his team’s best chance of the game but was unable to find the target.
Liverpool’s experienced James Milner and Stoke’s on-loan Van Ginkel showed they are not afraid to scrap in midfield, but also looked assured in possession.
Playing up front on his own, Benteke endured a poor debut, isolated on his own, often having to drop short in search of the ball. Boss Rodgers needs to work out how to best utilise the £32.5m Belgian’s height and aggression. The Reds put just six crosses into the box for him to feed off. — BBC Sport
Online Reporter