Stoke City 1: Liverpool 2: LUIS SUAREZ answered some of his critics with the two goals that took Liverpool into the League Cup quarter-finals. A goal down at the break, the visitors were indebted to their Uruguayan striker for masterminding a recovery almost single-handedly.
Pepe Reina was involved quickly, the goalkeeper having to backpedal and ending up relieved to see Jon Walters’ chip over his head land on the roof of the net. Suarez then just failed to fasten on to the rebound when Thomas Sorensen beat out a powerful shot from Andy Carroll. Liverpool had just put together their best passing move of the game through Maxi Rodriguez and Lucas and, when the latter’s square ball found Suarez free on the six-yard line in front of goal, Sorensen reacted quickly to smother a shot.
Apart from Rory Delap’s long throws Stoke were finding it difficult to put Liverpool under pressure, although Jamie Carragher was lucky to escape with only a yellow card for a scything tackle on Matthew Etherington.
Sorensen was called upon again to save from Carroll and then Martin Kelly either side of the first’s half’s major talking point, a disallowed Stoke goal that arrived from a Delap long throw in the 36th minute that Walters was able to beat Reina with a glancing header but Lee Probert had already decided the goalkeeper had been impeded.
Stoke took the lead on the stroke of the interval through a Kenwyne Jones diving header, following a calamitous mistake by Sebastian Coates. Having indicated he was about to deal with a bouncing ball near the left touchline, Coates was dispossessed by Walters, and could only watch as Jones headed beyond Reina.
Suarez conjured an early equaliser when cutting inside Robert Huth on the left, nutmegged Ryan Shotton on the edge of the area and then hit a curling shot that not even Sorensen could reach.
Liverpool were unable to come up with any more moments of individual brilliance to take the lead and normal time was dribbling away until Suarez hit the winner. When substitute Craig Bellamy hit a post a minute earlier it was just about Liverpool’s first threat since their equaliser, but Suarez was in position when Jordan Henderson angled in a volleyed cross and he stayed onside to put a firm header back across the goalkeeper.
STOKE: Sorensen; Huth, Shawcross, Woodgate, Wilson; Shotton (Pennant 60), Delap, Whelan, Etherington (Jerome 64); Jones (Crouch 87), Walters. Subs not used: Nash, Upson, Palacios, Diao. Booked: Shawcross, Whelan.
LIVERPOOL:Reina; Kelly, Carragher (Skrtel half-time), Coates, Agger; Spearing, Lucas, Henderson, Maxi (Bellamy 82); Carroll, Suarez (Kuyt 88). Subs not used: Doni, Flanagan, Aurelio, Adam. Booked: Carragher.
Referee:Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Guardian Service
