LIVERPOOL, England -- Three observations from Anfield where Liverpool downed Stoke City 4-1.

1. Liverpool win while resting players

The Premier League title race may be over, but the contest for eighth place is heating up. Liverpool leapfrogged Stoke by beating them. They have moved a step closer to extending their record of 53 consecutive top-eight finishes. That has a statistical significance. Of more immediate importance is that Liverpool won while resting players for Thursday's Europa League quarterfinal second leg against Borussia Dortmund.

While Jurgen Klopp's former club made eight changes for their Ruhr derby contest against Schalke, the Liverpool manager made seven alterations and secured a first win in five games. Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho were not required at all as Alberto Moreno, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi scored, the Belgian contributing two goals after coming on as a substitute. He can be pencilled in for a second start against Dortmund.

Dropped for the first leg with the Bundesliga high-flyers, Sturridge's presence from the beginning against Stoke was probably an indication that he will be back on the bench on Thursday. His predatory prowess is not enough in itself for Klopp, though it added to an eventful afternoon, notable for nervous defending, dangerous crossing and high winds.

The latter two factors enabled Origi to score his second goal: he seemed to be aiming for Sturridge, on the edge of the six-yard box, and instead found the far corner of the Stoke net. For the first time, he struck twice in a Premier League match.

It amounted to a distinctly different occasion. This was a battle of the understudies; Liverpool's because of their Europa League commitments and Stoke's because of injuries. Their absentees included Jack Butland, Glenn Whelan, Jonathan Walters, Marc Wilson, Glen Johnson and top scorer Marko Arnautovic.

The goalkeeper was missed most as Stoke proved unusually porous. Butland's deputy, Jakob Haugaard, dived over Moreno's swerving opener. It meant the left-back became Liverpool's 20th different scorer this season. Plenty have contributed, but while none have proved particularly prolific, there were few complaints as, for the first time, Anfield witnessed a Klopp team scoring four times.

2. Ojo excels on full debut

Liverpool's games against Stoke have brought a few debuts in recent years, largely because some have occurred on the opening weekend of a season. Not this. Sheyi Ojo and Kevin Stewart both made first league starts for the hosts. This was a throwback to Klopp's FA Cup selections. It was an unexpected chance.

Sometimes events conspire to create an opportunity. With Emre Can suspended, Jordan Henderson injured and Lucas Leiva not fully match fit, an opening presented itself at the base of a midfield trio. Stewart filled it. He is, as he showed against Exeter and West Ham on his previous outings, neat and tidy in possession, a player who will collect the ball and move it on with the minimum of fuss.

He knits teams together but is not an eye-catching player. Ojo is. The 18-year-old winger was on loan at Wolves when Klopp was appointed and, had previous manager Brendan Rodgers stayed in charge, Ojo would still be at Molineux. A change of management had brought a change in fortunes.

Ojo was bright. One burst of pace was too much for Erik Pieters, who was cautioned for chopping down the youngster. Better play from Ojo was to follow. He swapped flanks to beat Phil Bardsley with a trick and provided a pinpoint cross that was headed in by Sturridge. It was a wonderful moment, suggesting that he has a future at a club short of natural wingers, but his contribution was curtailed at the interval. The fact that his replacement was Origi was telling. Klopp's initial preference for Ojo was confirmation that Jordon Ibe has fallen out of favour. The fact that Ibe was not even on the bench showed just how far.

3. Crouch causes his old club problems

Stoke's shift in identity under manager Mark Hughes has been personified by Peter Crouch, totem, talisman and target man under previous manager Tony Pulis and a bit-part player now. The veteran was granted only his second league start of the season; the first was at Old Trafford, where he was ineffectual. Perhaps he is deemed the man for the big occasion; this being a return to a former club.

Weakened by a virus, Joselu was on the bench, but if it could be argued that Crouch started by default, it also seemed a ploy designed for particular opponents, rather than a sentimental gesture by Hughes to afford him a reunion. He had been parachuted in for the Capital One Cup semi-final on the same ground, where he marred a fine performance by missing a penalty in the shootout.

Crouch's recall showed sound thinking. There is a long-held suspicion that Liverpool struggle against both the aerial ball and set-pieces. So Stoke illustrated, but the twist in the tale was that the man to head their equaliser was Bojan Krkic, the shortest man in their side. Yet Crouch had contributed, winning the free kick that Xherdan Shaqiri took. He did so by flicking the ball over Martin Skrtel, one of the few survivors of his time at Anfield, before being blocked off. It was far from the first time Skrtel has failed to deal with a tall striker. Perhaps a preoccupation with the prominent Crouch allowed Bojan to steal in unmarked.

If he was hard to ignore, he also proved hard to mark. Crouch's Anfield comeback seemed the happiest of affairs when he headed in Pieters' cross, but he was fractionally offside. Nevertheless, it showed the wisdom of Stoke's tactics, even if the weather added an element of anarchy to the occasion. Crosses were caught by the wind, punts forward suddenly changing direction. Anfield was so blustery that the beanpole Crouch seemed at risk of being blown over. The lamentable Skrtel, who proved he can even be abject in a 4-1 win, looked still more uncertain than usual, but an altogether younger striker, Origi, deflected attention from Crouch.

Crouch turned 35 in January and, while he has a further year on his contract, this may prove a final appearance at a ground that was his home for three years. He cannot be bracketed among the Liverpool greats, but a return of 42 goals in 134 Liverpool games was respectable.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Richard Jolly

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