CAPITAL ONE CUP SEMI-FINAL JORDON PUTS KOP IN CONTROL
JORDON IBE grabbed the advantage as livewire Liverpool set about clinching a Wembley date.
Ibe struck in the 37th minute to stun a home side that had been completely outplayed to that point.
Even Liverpool seemed surprised by how lifeless Stoke were in this Capital One Cup semi-final first-leg tie.
Potters boss Mark Hughes wanted his side to storm at Jurgen Klopp’s men and give themselves some breathing space going into the second leg.
But they found themselves under the cosh for large periods of the game.
Klopp was looking for a reaction following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at West Ham – and he got it.
The German has a reputation as a master tactician but he might have stumbled on a novel way of tackling his side’s goalscoring problem – play without strikers.
Liverpool might be enduring their worst goalscoring season since 1971, but Kop boss Klopp still sacrificed leading scorer Christian Benteke from his starting line-up.
The big striker’s six goals represent over a quarter of the entire side’s miserly tally of 22 and he has not got Daniel Sturridge around right now.
When five-goal Philippe Coutinho limped off with a pulled hamstring just 18 minutes into the game, the team was without the two men responsible for half of their haul this campaign.
Ibe came on but it was only the start of a headache for Klopp as Dejan Lovren limped out in the 33rd minute and had to be replaced by James Milner.
Mind you, Stoke needed all the help they could get, given the scorching start by the visitors.
Stoke seemed surprised by the way Liverpool came at them and were, quite literally, all over the place.
After only 45 seconds, Jack Butland had to go full tilt to the foot of his post to palm away a swerver from Roberto Firmino.
That was only the start of it as Liverpool ruthlessly cut through the home side.