Liverpool vs. Stoke City: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Liverpool recorded a 4-1 home win over Stoke City on Sunday to leapfrog over their opponents into eighth place in the Premier League table.
Goals from Alberto Moreno and Daniel Sturridge sandwiched an effort for Bojan Krkic for the visitors at Anfield during a lively first half.
However, the introduction of substitute Divock Origi at half-time saw the Reds take a grip on proceedings.
The Belgium international scored twice to secure Liverpool a league double over their opponents.
It was also a timely boost to morale ahead of the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash with Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, with the tie delicately balanced after a 1-1 result on German soil.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from the game on Merseyside.
Winner: Divock Origi
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Divock Origi has had few better weeks in his Liverpool career to date.
After starting, and scoring, in the 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, the striker produced an impressive 45-minute cameo against Stoke City less than 72 hours later.
He put the hosts 3-1 up when heading home James Milner's left-footed cross just five minutes after coming on in place of Sheyi Ojo.
His second, however, was a little fortunate. Origi's cross after cutting in from the left wing was meant for Daniel Sturridge, but it missed his team-mate and instead ended up in the back of the net.
Considering both strikers scored against Stoke, it will be fascinating to see who manager Jurgen Klopp picks to face Dortmund at Anfield.
Could they both be squeezed into the starting XI? Only Klopp can provide the answer to that question.
Loser: Erik Pieters
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Erik Pieters was booked, nearly bagged an unwanted assist and was eventually replaced after an exchange of views with his own coaching staff.
The Dutch left-back's yellow card came in the first half. He was cautioned for taking out Sheyi Ojo after the Liverpool youngster had pushed the ball beyond the Stoke player.
Pieters' afternoon didn't improve after the break, even with the tricky Ojo taken off.
He cannoned a right-footed clearance straight against Roberto Firmino that just cleared Stoke's goal before a disagreement with manager Mark Hughes saw the defender substituted in the 82nd minute.
Hughes played down the incident after the game, per Martin Spinks of the Stoke Sentinel: "We just needed to be a bit more solid and we needed to make a change and we did."
Winner: Kevin Stewart
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Midfielder Kevin Stewart impressed on his first Premier League start for Liverpool.
With Jordan Henderson injured and Emre Can suspended, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp turned to a 22-year-old with limited first-team experience.
Stewart—who had been on loan at League One side Swindon Town earlier in the season—made a shaky start, losing possession in the opening minutes.
However, the early setback did not dent his confidence. Shielding the back four, he was always willing to receive the ball and looked to play the simple pass.
Klopp was impressed, telling Joe Rimmer of the Liverpool Echo: "We saw Kevin had two difficult moments, the first two passes didn’t reach the target. So of course you get nervous in a moment like this. But he got back into the game with heart, smart challenges and really good positioning."
Loser: Martin Skrtel
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Martin Skrtel has slipped down the pecking order in the battle to start at the heart of Liverpool's defence. Judging by his performance against Stoke City, his stock isn't going to rise for a while yet.
The centre-back struggled to cope against Peter Crouch. It was a foul on his former Liverpool team-mate that led to the visitors' equaliser in the 22nd minute.
Xherdan Shaqiri curled over the resulting free-kick with his left foot, and Bojan—all 5'8" of him—was somehow allowed a free header.
Richard Jolly noted for ESPN FC that Skrtel's performance was "lamentable." He added that, somehow, the Slovakian had "proved he can even be abject in a 4-1 win."
Rest assured, Liverpool fans, Skrtel will likely have a watching brief against Dortmund.
Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho were both rested for the Premier League fixture, with the former an unused sub, ahead of Thursday's Europa League tie.
Winner: Daniel Sturridge
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Daniel Sturridge likes playing against Stoke City.
Per Opta Joe on Twitter, the forward has been directly involved in seven goals in as many Premier League games against them.
He scored against them for the third successive outing, heading home Sheyi Ojo's inviting cross from close range in the 32nd minute.
Jurgen Klopp had surprisingly preferred Divock Origi for the midweek Europa League tie in Dortmund. However, he praised Sturridge for the way he responded to the personal setback.
Liverpool's German manager told Sky Sports (h/t Simeon Gholam of SkySports.com): "Daniel was brilliant. [It was a] brilliant performance and he worked really hard [and scored a] wonderful goal."
Chris Bascombe noted in his report for the Telegraph: "The England striker scored, he linked the play and—perhaps most thrillingly for the Liverpool coach—his work rate was exceptional as he assumed senior status in a vastly changed line-up."
