Divock Origi leads Liverpool to runaway Anfield victory vs. Stoke City

Any worries that Liverpool might have taken their eye off the ball for this game due to their upcoming Europa League clash with Borussia Dortmund proved to be unfounded, as the Reds produced an excellent display to easily see off Stoke City. The result saw Liverpool leapfrog their opponents in the table and with both West Ham and Manchester United dropping points this weekend, fifth place is almost in reach for the Merseysiders if they continue their recent form.

Jurgen Klopp made several changes with the Dortmund game in mind, but those who came in acquitted themselves well. The German will be especially encouraged by the form of his strikers, with Daniel Sturridge finding the net in the first half and substitute Divock Origi hitting a second-half brace. It will be interesting to see if Klopp goes with both against Dortmund, as selecting between them won't be easy.

Player ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):

GK Simon Mignolet, 7 -- A solid outing from the Belgian who showed good handling throughout and a command of his penalty area on crosses. He was powerless to prevent Bojan's first-half equaliser but did make a fine stop to deny Geoff Cameron after the break.

DF Nathaniel Clyne, 7 -- Dogged in his defending and spritely in his attacking, this was an all-action display from the England full-back who impressed at both ends of the pitch and continues to show great energy levels.

DF Martin Skrtel, 7 -- It's been a wretched few weeks for the Slovakian since his return from injury, so he'll be relieved to have got a performance like this under his belt. Coped well with the aerial bombardment and did a good job marking his former Anfield teammate Peter Crouch.

DF Kolo Toure, 7 -- The Ivorian has been Mr Dependable this season and this was another good performance from him. The one time he did not appear to be on the same wavelength as the rest of his defenders was when he dropped deeper than everybody else to play Bojan onside for his equaliser, but other than that it was typical Toure. He's set to leave the club at the end of the season and he will certainly be missed.

DF Alberto Moreno, 8 -- His most effective attacking display for some time. Opened the scoring with a blistering shot and also produced a great cross for Origi in the second half that the Belgian should have converted. Defended well against the dangerous Xherdan Shaqiri and managed to avoid making any of the reckless decisions that have often plagued him throughout his time at Anfield.

MF Kevin Stewart, 7 -- The young midfielder was handed another chance in the first team due to a suspension to Emre Can and Jordan Henderson's latest injury blow, and he once again showed he's at home playing at this level. There were one or two sloppy passes but for the most part he kept it simple and shielded his back four effectively. The more he plays, the better he'll get and he may get another opportunity next weekend as Can serves the final game of his ban.

Divock Origi came off the bench to score two goals as Liverpool cruised past Stoke City.

MF James Milner, 8 -- Tireless performance from the captain who was popping up all over the pitch, winning tackles and driving his team forward. Created Origi's first goal with a beauty of a cross with his left foot and Klopp proclaimed afterwards this was the England man's best performance of the season.

MF Joe Allen, 7 -- Typically busy display full of neat passing and relentless pressing. The Welshman is still searching for full fitness from a recent injury and Klopp replaced him for the closing stages to keep him fresh for the Dortmund game. With Henderson sidelined, Allen has suddenly become a very important player for Klopp so it's wise to wrap him in cotton wool.

FW Sheyi Ojo, 7 -- The teenage debutant had been quiet until he suddenly burst into life in spectacular style to create Liverpool's second goal. Having not had much joy on the right flank he briefly switched sides and bamboozled Shaqiri before standing up a perfect ball for Sturridge to head home. He was replaced at half-time as Klopp decided to change formation, but the change was no reflection on what was an encouraging first start.

FW Daniel Sturridge, 7 -- Got on the scoresheet and was much more involved in the game than he has been of late. Looked sharp and will surely play much more of a role against Dortmund this week than he did in the first leg.

FW Roberto Firmino, 6 -- Never really got into the game and was quite sloppy in possession, especially in the first half. There was no lack of effort from the Brazilian who did a lot of work closing people down, but aside from one shot that was comfortably saved by the keeper he didn't contribute a great deal and it was no surprise when he was replaced by Adam Lallana.

Substitutes:

FW Divock Origi, 8 -- It's been quite a few days for the young Belgian. The hero in Dortmund on Thursday night, he came off the bench at half time and within 20 minutes he'd scored two goals to make the game safe. Should probably have had a hat trick but headed wide from close range. He's made rapid progress these last few months.

MF Adam Lallana, 6 -- Introduced for Firmino after 63 minutes. Produced an energetic display at the tip of the midfield diamond.

MF Lucas Leiva, NR -- Replaced Allen for the final 15 minutes and performed efficiently, even making rare excursions into the penalty on a couple of occasions.

Liverpool in perfect preparation for Dortmund as it dismantles Stoke

Jurgen Klopp's men made light work of the visitors in a stellar 4-1 win, giving them the perfect platform to build on ahead of the German side's visit to Anfield.

It was difficult to shake the feeling that Liverpool facing Stoke at Anfield on Sunday was like begrudgingly rolling out of bed when you really had to wake up, but absolutely didn’t want to. 

Sandwiched in-between both legs of the Europa League quarterfinal against Jurgen Klopp’s old side Borussia Dortmund, it seemed like an unwanted distraction and the kind of game Liverpool would have sleepwalked through in the recent past.

To avoid exactly that, the Reds boss made seven changes to his side that drew 1-1 at the Westfalenstadion in a tireless encounter, and the combination of fresh legs and players determined to prove themselves saw the home side superbly oust Stoke 4-1.

Liverpool may have had an eye on Thursday’s all-or-nothing clash against Dortmund, but it didn’t sidetrack the players selected. Daniel Sturridge, who started on the bench last Thursday, provided a goal and his overall play looked sharper with more steel.

Divock Origi, chosen ahead of the England international at Signal Iduna Park, continued his stellar performance at Dortmund by netting twice against Mark Hughes’ men. He came off the bench to replace teenager Sheyi Ojo, who, on his first start for the club, sent Xherdan Shaqiri to buy his dinner as he danced past him to deliver the perfect cross to Sturridge.

Kevin Stewart, back from an injury lay-off, worked well in tandem with Joe Allen, who won the most interceptions and made the most tackles. In a stat that perhaps summed up the fun Liverpool had, Kolo Toure attempted and completed their top tally of take-ons in the game.

And the four players that started against Dortmund who were selected again versus Stoke and who should line up from the off again on Thursday - Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Alberto Moreno and James Milner - were brilliant. 

The goalkeeper did well to tip a goal-bound Geoff Cameron effort over, while the right back created two chances and was a constant supply of attacking third passes. Moreno opened the scoring with an scorching shot that had a wicked bend and Milner, wearing the armband, assisted that strike as well as Origi’s first of the evening.



Adam Lallana had told Goal that with four games in 10 days, Liverpool would need to look to the squad in order to stay fresh and that worked brilliantly against Stoke. It was a cunning display by the collective.

Thomas Tuchel had the same idea, making eight changes to his Dortmund side for the Revierderby with Schalke, but that finished in a 2-2 draw.

It was the perfect preparation for Liverpool as it welcomes the Bundesliga side to Anfield on Thursday night. The Reds got the job done on Sunday and will be determined to do the same under the floodlights as another top European night awaits.