Stoke vs Liverpool (Carling Cup) Report

Luis Suárez answered some of his critics with the two goals that took Liverpool into the Carling Cup quarter-finals. A goal down at the interval, the visitors were indebted to their Uruguayan striker for almost single-handedly masterminding their recovery, dispelling in the process the myth that he does not convert enough chances to be regarded as a clinical finisher. He missed a few chances here too, but took the important couple well enough to impress anyone.

"The wee man scored a fantastic goal," was Kenny Dalglish's appraisal of the stunning second-half equaliser. "And the header for the second wasn't bad either. We wouldn't mind him scoring the odd tap-in, and if we had put a couple of our chances away in the first half it would have made things easier, but all you can say about a goal like that is that it was worth waiting for."
Liverpool made eight changes from the draw with Norwich City at the weekend but kept faith with Suárez, their outstanding performer in that game, and kept Pepe Reina in goal. Both players were involved quickly, the goalkeeper backpedalling hastily and being relieved to see Jon Walters's speculative chip land on the roof of his net, then the striker just failing to fasten on to a rebound when Thomas Sorensen beat out a powerful shot from Andy Carroll.
On Saturday Suárez was mostly foiled by the excellence of John Ruddy, a pattern that seemed to be repeating itself here when Sorensen saved at point-blank range midway through the first half. Liverpool had just put together their best passing move of the game through Maxi Rodríguez and Lucas Leiva, and when the latter's square ball found Suárez free on the six-yard line Sorensen had to react quickly to smother a first-time shot.
Apart from Rory Delap's long throws Stoke were finding it difficult to put Liverpool's defence under pressure, although Jamie Carragher was lucky to escape with only a yellow card for an ugly, scything tackle that upended Matthew Etherington. Lucky he wasn't playing for Chelsea against QPR at the weekend, for instance, otherwise he would have been off.
Sorensen was called upon again to save from Carroll and then Martin Kelly either side of the first half's major talking point. Stoke moving their touchlines in by a yard or so has given Delap even more of a runup and less ground to cover, and he achieved such a velocity in the 36th minute that Walters was able to beat Reina with a simple glancing header. Lee Probert had already decided that the goalkeeper had been impeded, however, although it was impossible even after a few replays to establish by whom. Certainly Walters did not make any sort of illegal contact, indeed any contact, and there was no one else in the goalkeeper's vicinity.
If that was an injustice, it was quickly corrected. Stoke took the lead on the stroke of the interval through a Kenwyne Jones diving header, following a fairly calamitous mistake by Sebastián Coates. Having indicated to team-mates he was about to deal with a bouncing ball near the left touchline, Liverpool's Uruguayan defender was surprised to be dispossessed by Walters, and could only watch as the hitherto anonymous Jones stooped to meet a low cross and direct a header expertly beyond Reina's reach.
Kenny Dalglish sent out Martin Skrtel for the second half, not for the hapless Coates but for the cautioned Carragher. It appeared that what the visitors lacked was a midfield presence rather than another centre-half, yet while Suárez is on the pitch there is always hope and the striker conjured an early equaliser without needing anyone's help. Cutting inside Robert Huth on the left, Suárez weighed his options, nutmegged Ryan Shotton on the edge of the area, then found the inside of the right-hand upright with a curling shot that not even Sorensen could reach.
That deflated the home side a little, though a labouring Liverpool were unable to come up with any more moments of individual brilliance until Suárez hit the winner five minutes from the end. When the substitute Craig Bellamy struck a post moments earlier it was Liverpool's first real threat since their equaliser, but Suárez was in position once again when it mattered. Jordan Henderson deserved most credit, improvising cleverly to angle in a volleyed first-time cross, which found Suárez onside at long last for a firm header back across the goalkeeper.
"He's special," Tony Pulis agreed. "A real handful whether he's got the ball or not. I don't have any complaints about the result, I thought Liverpool were the better team, but we should have had a penalty at the end when Peter Crouch was brought down. It was a clear foul, and not getting anything for that was a bit hard to take after having a goal chalked off in the first half for something no one could see."

Whelan - Don't blame Europe

Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan insists his team-mates are not using Europe as an excuse for their Arsenal defeat. 

The Potters might be top of Europa League Group E but their form has been poor immediately after European games.
That trend continued on Sunday when they followed up a win over Maccabi Tel Aviv by losing 3-1 at Emirates Stadium.
Stoke have also lost Premier League games to Sunderland and Swansea following Europa League outings, but Whelan insists that is just a coincidence.

No excuses

 

"Because we have been beaten in the games after Europe, it is easy for everyone to say that - and it gives us an excuse," Whelan told The Sentinel.
"But the manager has made changes. He knows what the lads are like and what they have in their legs to play these games.
"If he's picking a team to go out on a Thursday and then a Sunday he knows he has a team going out to try to win the game.
"We won't be using that as an excuse. We have to hold our hands up and say, on the day, maybe the better team won. But I thought we gave a good account of ourselves."

Stoke vs Liverpool (Carling Cup) Preview

TEAM NEWS

Stoke City winger Jermaine Pennant, who has been nursing a hamstring problem, looks unlikely to play against his former club.
But Danny Higginbotham could feature following a knee injury.
Liverpool midfielder Lucas is available after missing the weekend draw against Norwich because he was serving a one-match ban.
Fit-again defender Daniel Agger came on as a late substitute in that game and could be involved on Wednesday.

MATCH PREVIEW

Liverpool, who have won the League Cup seven times - more than any other club - hope to take another step towards lifting the trophy for the first time since 2003 when they take on Stoke.
They will also be looking to avenge their 1-0 league defeat at Stoke in September, when lifelong Everton fan Jon Walters scored the Potters' winner from the penalty spot.
The Anfield club, who have failed to score in only one of their last 40 League Cup matches, won at Brighton in the previous round and a victory at the Britannia Stadium would see Liverpool record successive away wins in this competition for the first time in 17 years.
Stoke added to their squad in the summer, signing former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch among others, and they needed to given the busy schedule because of their involvement in the Europa League. This will be there third match in six days.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Liverpool have won 62 and Stoke 28 of the 123 previous matches between these clubs.
• Stoke have failed to score in six of their last nine games against them.

Stoke

• City are appearing in the fourth round for the fourth season running.
• They have lost only one of their last seven home League Cup ties.

Liverpool

• Liverpool are aiming to make the last eight for the first time in four seasons.
• They have kept only two clean sheets in their last 12 games.

Arsenal 3 - 1 Stoke City Report

There isn’t much more one can say about Robin van Persie. The Arsenal captain scored another 2 goals this afternoon, to make it 25 goals in 26 Premier League appearances in 2011 and to turn 1-1 into 3-1 for Arsenal. The fact that his two goals came in little under 25 minutes makes his performance all the more remarkable.

Arsenal started well, holding onto the ball well, and dealt with Rory Delap’s long throws with ease. Marouane Chamakh had a free header from Mikel Arteta’s corner, but headed wide. Aaron Ramsey played a wonderful chip into Gervinho’s run, but the Ivorian winger couldn’t quite bring the pass under control. No matter though; minutes later, Ramsey tried the same routine from an even closer angle, and Gervinho brought it down before rounding Asmir Begovic and tucking away for 1-0.

Arsenal’s weakness at set pieces, though, came back to bite them. For some reason, Lee Mason gave Stoke a free kick when Laurent Koscielny jumped above Peter Crouch. Whelan’s ball to the right was headed across by Shawcross, headed back in by Walters and tapped home by Crouch. Not a foul, but, the only blemish on the Arsenal defence who dealt with set pieces fairly well. Moments later, Arsenal should’ve had a penalty; Andy Wilkinson grabbed Marouane Chamakh from behind and brought him down. It was more of a foul than the one Mason gave, highlighting the inconsistencies that make him one of the worst referees in the League.

Arsenal passed and tried to probe their way through Stoke’s defence in the second half, but the game was crying out for Robin van Persie. On he came, for the ineffectual Chamakh, and almost immediately, he scored. Gervinho did ever so well to beat Marc Wilson, get to the byline and cutback for van Persie, who’s shot beat was hard enough so that Begovic could only get a touch. It was the kind of goal van Persie has been scoring a lot recently, showing his superb poaching instincts to go along with his Bergkamp-esque creativity and passing range.

van Persie added a second 9 minutes later. Arshavin played a superb pass to put Gervinho in, who slid for van Persie who again hit his shot hard enough so that Begovic could only get a touch. 3-1, and all 3 points for Arsenal, making it 6 wins out of 7 for the team supposedly "in crisis".

Arsenal move up to 7th, just 2 points behind Liverpool and 4 behind Newcastle, while Stoke drop to 9th.

Crouch - 'Never known work-rate like it'

PETER CROUCH believes that Stoke City's workrate is second to none . . . after they got their reward for a storming fightback by taking their first Barclays Premier League point off champions Manchester United at the Britannia Stadium.

Crouch grabbed the headlines by with his first goal in a City shirt since the club record £10 million move from Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day, but he was quick to acclaim the contribution of his team-mates in a pulsating live televised match.


The Potters were trailing to an outstanding solo effort from Nani when the England striker popped up with a 52nd minute equaliser and he had the opportunities to turn that long-awaited first point against United into all three after that goal.

"It was a tremendous all-round team performance," said Crouch, who was named man-of-the-match. "I have never known a workrate like it here.

"The manager has instilled that work ethic in the players and it certainly showed in the way that we got at United and created some excellent chances.

"When you think that we went through 120 minutes and then penalties against Tottenham in midweek and yet it didn't show out there today.

"I thought it was a top class performance and we should perhaps have won it in the end. I felt I could have got the winner, but then you can't be greedy."

Crouch admitted that it was a particularly special moment when his firm header for Matthew Etherington's corner hit the back of the net.

"To get it against Manchester United was special, but to score it in front of the home supporters was just as pleasing for me," added the big striker.

"I am sure it will be the first of many goals I score for the Club.

"As long as I get the chances, then I am confident that there are a lot more to come.

"Ferdinand and Jones are top class performers at the centre of their defence and they are always difficult to play against, but I thought we mixed it up well, created chances and were perhaps unlucky not to come away with three points."

Pulis - Raise the roof vs. Besiktas

TONY PULIS today challenged Stoke City's supporters to make their Europa League tie this week a particularly noisy occasion . . . to match the atmosphere they are likely to face when they travel to Istanbul for the final Group E encounter.

Pulis is hoping that his side will be roared on by a big crowd when they take on Turkish Cup winners Besiktas at the Britannia Stadium on Thursday evening, with a significant number of tickets still available to see the Europa League tie.

City's manager sampled the electrifying atmosphere which City will step into when they play the return match just before Christmas, having travelled out to watch Besiktas beat Antalyaspor in their Super League game on Sunday evening.

"The challenge is for our supporters to generate as much, if not more noise as their fans are sure to make out there," he commented.

"The atmosphere here at the Britannia Stadium was incredible on Saturday and we need the place to be rocking again come Thursday night."

He added: "It will be a fantastic night, our first major European tie for almost 40 years and I am excited about the chances of us doing well in Europe. A chance like this doesn't come along too often, so we need to make the most of it."

Alan Hansen - Stoke are so much more than a new Wimbledon...

Stoke City’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday was the latest in a long line of positive results achieved by Pulis’s team and, such is Stoke’s strength nowadays, Sir Alex Ferguson will ultimately regard a point as a good day’s work.
But, just as Wimbledon before them, Stoke suffer from being cast as a team who play only one way – a physical outfit who bombard opponents with aerial balls and who are happy to rough teams up.
Many people hated Wimbledon, but although they famously beat my Liverpool team in the 1988 FA Cup final, I didn’t hate them. I wasn’t a great admirer of their football and, if they played within the rules, they were only just inside them.
But Stoke are miles inside the rules with their approach to the game and Pulis deserves credit for the progress his club have made since being promoted to the Premier League three years ago.
Put simply, they play to their strengths and exploit the weaknesses of their opponents, yet that is a basic principle obeyed by all successful teams.

When I was at Liverpool, we had a European game against Dynamo Dresden and the information we had was that they were susceptible to diagonal balls from right to left. I can still recall pinging a 60-yard diagonal ball to John Toshack and seeing him flick it on for Ray Kennedy to score.
The lesson from that is that it is not all about playing total football. It is about winning the game by identifying weaknesses and capitalising on them.

Stoke do that very well. They also work really hard as a group of players and clearly spend lots of time on the training ground, fine-tuning their tactics.
But they are better than their one-dimensional reputation. If they were totally reliant on set-pieces and throw-ins, they would only get so far, yet they are actually making progress again this season. And you have to give Pulis credit for being clever in recognising the need to alter the approach with subtle changes to the way his team plays.
Yes, they continue to thrive off Rory Delap’s enormous throw-ins and heap pressure on opponents by deploying tall strikers such as Peter Crouch.
They have also got their delivery from corners down to a fine art with Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant able to whip in dangerous and accurate crosses. But in Etherington and Pennant, Pulis also has two players who are tricky, pacy and capable of delivering good balls from the flanks.
Dealing with aerial stuff unsettles defenders, but when you add the ability to cause problems on the deck into the mix, then it becomes a real challenge to defend against them. Pulis appears to have recognised that, because Stoke now threaten opponents both aerially and with invention.
Another smart move by the manager is to instil and foster an ‘it’s us against the world’ mentality within his squad and you can even see it spreading to the supporters, who are some of the best in the Premier League with their vocal backing for the team and the way they play.

The Stoke fans never get on their players’ backs and you can sense the togetherness that exists on and off the pitch.
A strong togetherness inside the dressing room used to be a given 30 years ago, but the game has changed and it means that teams like Stoke have a huge advantage over those sides who are not so united.
Some teams will fall apart when things begin to go badly, but those that are strong and together find something extra when the going gets tough.
The kind of squad unity they have at the Britannia Stadium shines like a beacon. Wimbledon had that and their spirit was a major factor in their success and the ability they had to sustain it against the odds for so long. But once that spirit began to crack, it all fell apart for Wimbledon and they ended up sinking without a trace.
That is not going to happen with Stoke City, though, because there is a clear sense from the outside that the club is well run and that the manager’s system is trusted by everybody.
The mark of Stoke’s progress is that nobody would even have given a second thought to them being in a relegation battle this season.
Watching the top six go at each other is fantastic, but the Premier League still needs stories of clubs punching above and beyond their weight and Stoke deserve credit, rather than criticism, for the way they have impressively built themselves into an established top-flight team.

Pulis "Utd best in the world"

Stoke manager Tony Pulis believes the Manchester United side that will visit the Britannia Stadium on Saturday are the best team in world football.

Sir Alex Ferguson guided his side to a record 19th top-flight title last season but many pundits felt it was not one of the better line-ups the Scot had overseen.
However, there has been no such criticism this season, with United flying out of the traps, winning five straight Premier League games, including last weekend's 3-1 victory over Chelsea and their 8-2 mauling of Arsenal in August.
The addition of the likes of Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea this summer, as well as the return from loan spells of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, has given United a more youthful, energetic look.

LIVE ON ESPN

Watch Stoke City v Manchester United live on ESPN from 5.30pm on Saturday.

And Pulis believes, if they were now to face UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona, it would be a very different outcome to the 3-1 victory Pep Guardiola's team achieved at Wembley in May.
"If you look at their team and the way they've started, I think United now have a better team than they had last year, and they won the Barclays Premier League title last year," said the Potters boss.
"It's going to be a tough test. We have to play to our maximum, we have to have things go for us, and United have to be a little bit short on the day.

Maximum

"If they play to their maximum, they will beat any side in the world, and I put Barcelona in that because they have been pretty outstanding."
Wayne Rooney - yet to score against Stoke - has been the main man as far as goals are concerned for United, netting nine times already, but it is Mexican Javier Hernandez that has caught Pulis' eye.
He said: "I think Hernandez is the next Denis Law. His movement in the box, his anticipation, is fantastic. He's quick, he's got everything great goalscorers need and he's certainly deadly in front of goal.
"And Ashley Young, what a great signing that's turned out to be. Then you've got Rooney playing the best football he's played for years, Nani scoring goals from everywhere. They've got goalscorers and they will be a major force again."
Although Pulis is hopeful a number of players will shake off niggles to face United, he will definitely be without striker Kenwyne Jones.
The Trinidad and Tobago international limped off during the Carling Cup victory over Tottenham on Tuesday with a hamstring injury and, although the problem is not as bad as first feared, he is expected to be out until after October's international break.
Pulis said: "That is a big disappointment for us because Kenwyne had started the season really well. And, although we brought Peter (Crouch) in, we were hoping he'd put the pressure on Kenwyne to get the best out of Kenwyne."

Stoke vs Man U Preview

The size of the task facing Stoke this weekend will not be lost on Tony Pulis, as they play host to table-topping Manchester United. 

The Potters have made a solid start to the 2011/12 campaign, but will be aware that their weekend opponents are yet to drop a point.
Stoke will need to perform considerably better than they did in their last Premier League outing if they are to put the first blot on the Red Devils' copybook.
Pulis saw his side slip to a 4-0 defeat at Sunderland last time out, but will hope that a first setback of the season is nothing more than a minor blip.
The Potters will be happy to be back on home soil this weekend, as they have lost only one of their last 11 top flight fixtures at the Britannia Stadium.
They have, however, scored just three goals in their last seven Premier League games and need to find a cutting edge.


Manchester United have had no such problems of late, finding the target 21 times in their opening five fixtures.
Wayne Rooney has led the charge and the England international is only the second player to net in each of his team's first five games, after Jose Antonio Reyes for Arsenal in 2004.
He is also the first man to score nine times in the first five games of a Premier League season.
While Rooney is the danger man, Javier Hernandez has scored three goals in two appearances against Stoke - netting in the 27th minute of both games - and Pulis will be keen to keep a close eye on the Mexican marksman.
Should United be among the goals again this weekend, they will fancy their chances of preserving their 100 per cent record against Stoke - which currently stands at six wins from six.

Team news

Stoke are set to be without the services of Kenwyne Jones this weekend.
The striker suffered a knee injury during their midweek Carling Cup victory over Tottenham and will play no part on Saturday.
His absence means Peter Crouch is likely to spearhead the Potters' attack, with Jon Walters and Cameron Jerome battling it out for the other striking berth.
Ricardo Fuller could come back into contention, but Danny Higginbotham (knee) misses out against his former club.

Hernandez could make a surprise return to action for Manchester United.
A knock picked up against Chelsea last weekend was expected to keep him sidelined for some time, but he is back in training and pushing for a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's starting XI.
United are also hoping Rio Ferdinand will be ready for a recall after shaking off a calk problem.
Chris Smalling is a slight doubt while Nemanja Vidic (calf), Tom Cleverley (ankle) and Rafael (shoulder) definitely miss out.

Possible starting XIs

Stoke: Begovic, Woodgate, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson, Delap, Whitehead, Palacios, Etherington, Walters, Crouch.
Man Utd: De Gea, Jones, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Nani, Fletcher, Anderson, Young, Rooney, Welbeck.