5 Talking Points - Stoke City vs Liverpool

Liverpool beat Stoke City 1-0 in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-finals at the Britannia stadium. Jordon Ibe scored the only goal of the game in the 41st minute, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will be very disappointed as Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren, and Kolo Toure were injured in the game. He’ll now be hoping to get some of his players fit before the second leg at Anfield on January 26. Here are the 5 talking points from the game.

#1 More injuries for Liverpool

Liverpool's injury demons reared their ugly heads again

Liverpool came away with a well deserved win from Stoke City, but it proved to be costly as two more players were injured. Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho pulled up his hamstring in the 17th minute, and Jordon Ibe replaced him. James Milner came on for Dejan Lovren in the 33th minute as he too picked up a hamstring injury. Their last fit centre-back Kolo Toure was also limping in the dying minutes of the game. Lucas Leiva started in the midfield, but had to play as a centre-back for an hour as Liverpool didn’t have any fit defender on the bench.

This will be a big setback for Jurgen Klopp, who already has a number of his first team players injured. The likes of Jordan Henderson, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Mamadou Sakho were already injured, and he’ll now have to make a couple of signings in the January transfer window.

#2 Joe Allen and Lucas shine for Liverpool

Lucas and Joe Allen's double act in midfield gave Liverpool a strong platform

Joe Allen's playing time has been limited since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp at the club, but he might have given his new manager something to think about after today’s brilliant display. He put in a lively performance for the visitors and looked brilliant going forward too. Allen also provided the assist for Jordon Ibe’s goal, which was the winner at the Britannia Stadium. The 25-year-old also intercepted a few passes in the midfield, and distributed the ball really well.

Lucas Leiva started the game in the midfield, but had to be pushed back after Lovren pulled his hamstring. He made 4 tackles and 6 interceptions, which was the most for any player on the pitch. The Brazilian looked strong at the back, and put in a top display when his manager really needed one from him.

#3 Liverpool better without Christian Benteke?

Benteke has struggled to make an impact in Jurgen Klopp's system

Christian Benteke is the top goal scorer for Liverpool this season, but it’s easy to see they’re a better team without the Belgian striker. Liverpool struggle in the attacking third with Benteke, but seem to perform much better with Firmino or Origi up top. Firmino seems to link better with the likes of Coutinho and Lallana, while Benteke's uncharacteristically poor work rate and off the ball movement makes it difficult for Liverpool to create any real chances.

Jurgen Klopp has made it clear to Benteke that he needs to work harder on the pitch to retain his place, and that was evident today. After his poor performance in the last game, Benteke was on the bench today against Stoke City and Klopp prefered bringing on Jordon Ibe when Coutinho was injured early on in the game. Needless to say, Benteke needs to work harder in the upcoming months or risk an early exit from Liverpool.

#4 Stoke City fail to take advantage

Marko Arnautovic failed to capitalize on Liverpool's patchwork defence

Stoke City have performed brilliantly this season, and recently won against the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton. They had a brilliant chance to keep up their momentum, but failed to take advantage. Philippe Coutinho and Dajan Lovren were injured in the first 30 minutes of the game leaving Liverpool in trouble. Lucas Leiva filled in as a centre-back, but Stoke City failed to cause any real problems for the Brazilian midfielder.

Peter Crouch was also brought on very late to take advantage of Lucas Leiva’s aerial abilities, while the likes of Arnautovic and Bojan failed to make any impact on the game today. Stoke City just had two shots on target, and should have done a lot better to test Liverpool’s defence.

#5 Liverpool step closer to first silverware under Klopp

Jurgen Klopp might be lifting a trophy in Liverpool's colours quite soon

After a poor display against West Ham United in their last game, Liverpool looked like a totally different side today against Stoke City. The Reds seemed a high pressing game with confidence on the ball. Liverpool started the game strongly, and Stoke City never really came back in the game. The Reds failed to win any silverware under previous manager Brendan Rodgers, but are close to winning one under new boss Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds will now face Stoke City in the second leg at Anfield with a 1-0 advantage, and should be considered favourites. If they manage to keep their lead intact at Anfield, they’ll either face local rivals Everton or Manchester City at Wembley in the finals. Klopp’s side are also in the knockout stages of the Europa League, and will start their FA Cup campaign later this weekend.