REDEMPTION
Rodgers relief as Coutinho rocket lays Stoke ghost
BRENDAN RODGERS believes Philippe Coutinho’s stunning winner yesterday means Liverpool have ‘put to bed’ the Stoke nightmare that haunted them all summer.
The Brazil midfielder produced a terrific 30-yard strike in the 86th minute at the Britannia Stadium to earn his side a 1-0 win and redemption after the humiliating 6-1 defeat in the final match of last season. Coutinho had only been training for 10 days following his exertions at the Copa America and manager Rodgers admitted he was close to replacing him with Danny Ings.
Rodgers said: ‘Eleven weeks ago it was embarrassing but I think that puts it to bed. It was all about performing well and showing character
today, ensuring the personality came out. To get a win where we were 11 weeks ago, I thought it was an outstanding collective performance.’ Of Coutinho, Rodgers added: ‘We felt Glen Johnson was getting space on the left and we moved Phil up, but we still wanted to win the game so we were going to make a positive change and take him off and bring Danny on. I can’t profess to be any sort of genius.’ Stoke manager Mark Hughes was upset with some of referee Anthony Taylor’s decisions, including a rejected penalty claim when Ibrahim Afellay had a shot charged down by Nathaniel Clyne and, more significantly, when Dejan Lovren elbowed Mame Biram Diouf. Hughes said: ‘We were the better team in the first half and should have had a penalty when Afellay had a goal-bound shot and Clyne stopped it with both hands.’ On the Lovren incident, he added: ‘The referee thought it was a yellow card for an elbow. He was fortunate not to get a red card.’ Inter Milan winger Xherdan Shaqiri was in the crowd yesterday and Hughes confirmed Stoke are looking to resurrect a deal for him. ‘We’re hopeful,’ he said.