Jordon Ibe's goal in the 37th minute of the League Cup semi final (first leg) between Stoke City and Liverpool has helped the Reds take crucial lead to Anfield when the two teams meet for the second leg on 26 January. Despite Stoke being considered favourite for the clash at the Britannia stadium, Liverpool played some brilliant football to win the first leg encounter.
Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, who was utterly disappointed with Liverpool's performance against West Ham over the weekend, must have been happy with his players' performance.
Liverpool players looked a determined outfit on Tuesday as they hit top gear from the first minute of the game and did not provide any time for the home team to settle down as they were constantly attacking in the first 20-30 minutes.
However, Klopp must be worried with first half injuries to key players, Philippe Coutinho and Dejan Lovren, both of whom seems to have suffered hamstring injuries. The extent of the injuries shall be known soon.
With Liverpool leading 1-0 in the first half, the second half was expected to be a tougher one for the visitors, which happened so with Stoke City starting the second half brightly, but the Liverpool defenders were up to the mark and Stoke fans were left disappointed with the result.
Despite getting their fair share of chances at goal, Stoke failed to find the back of the net. The same can be said for Liverpool, who could also have doubled their lead.
However, Liverpool should have no complaints with a 1-0 win over Stoke City, which has helped them inch closer to the League Cup finals as well.
