Liverpool climbed above Stoke City in the Premier League with a 4-1 victory over the Potters at Anfield this afternoon.
© AFP
Stoke started the match brightly, but they were behind inside eight minutes when James Milner teed up Albert Moreno with a quick free kick and the Spaniard beat Jakob Haugaard with a fierce 20-yard drive across goal.
The Potters were level midway through the opening period when Bojan Krkic was played onside and left all alone to glance home Xherdan Shaqiri's free kick.
© Getty Images
Peter Crouch then had the ball in the net for the away side, but his header was correctly ruled out for offside.
Daniel Sturridge took aim and fired wide for Liverpool in the 28th minute, but he was soon celebrating after putting the Reds back in front.
© Getty Images
Sheyi Ojo was the provider, skipping past him man down the left before crossing for Sturridge to nod home from close range.
Stoke twice went close to levelling before the break, but Ryan Shawcross headed wide and Giannelli Imbula could not beat Simon Mignolet with a shot from 25 yards.
Jurgen Klopp brought on Divock Origi at half time and he had put the Reds 3-1 up within five minutes by heading home a cross from Milner.
© AFP
Stoke almost halved the deficit shortly after when Geoff Cameron looped a header goalwards that Mignolet acrobatically tipped away.
Origi then somehow missed the target with half the goal to aim at from Moreno's cross, but he soon put that right by making it four.
The Belgian was allowed to cut in from the left and although he appeared to look for Sturridge with a curling cross, the ball touched no-one and snuck inside the far post.
© Getty Images
The visitors went close to an instant reply with an audacious 30-yard looping effort from Shaqiri that beat Mignolet but dropped just wide of the upright.
That was as good as it got for either side in the final 25 minutes as Liverpool comfortably saw out the win to move up to eighth in the table.
Pascal Lemesre
