I am fully a believer in the curse of the commentator. Listening to the commentator talk about how Mark Hughes has never won at Anfield and how Stoke have never won at Anfield, I was sitting there thinking to myself "here we go again". So as Jonathan Walters got the best of Lovren at the front post to put Stoke 1-0 up, I blamed the commentators more than I did Lovren and Mignolet. However Liverpool proved why they are the Premier League's top goalscorers after goals from Lallana and Firmino sent The Reds 2-1 up into half time; with an Imbula own goal and a goal from Sturridge finishing off The Potters and ended the game at 4-1.
A perfect response to all of Liverpool's title rivals winning on Boxing Day.
Attacking prowess
When you compare Liverpool to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City there is a key difference in terms of attack. When you think goals for Chelsea you think Diego Costa and when you think goals for Manchester City you think Sergio Aguero. However when you think goals for Liverpool, you think Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino. Today's game is just another example of Liverpool's attacking capabilities with three different goalscorers (excluding the own goal) on the score sheet. Sturridge's first Premier League goal was the 100th goal Liverpool have scored during Jurgen Klopp's reign only taking 48 matches to do so, averaging more than 2 goals a game.
After a disjointed start, Liverpool certainly took control of the game following Lallana's 34th minute equaliser with Firmino's excellent strike just before half-time putting them firmly in the driver's seat. It could have been a completely different game after Stoke showed early signs of taking the game away from Liverpool, with Mignolet saving former team-mate Allen's low effort and the rebound just out of reach for Crouch who could have tapped the ball into an empty net for 2-0 but Pieters couldn't direct his shot.
Unfortunately for them, Liverpool took control of the game and dominated with their free-flowing brand of attacking Football, the perfect response to the other top sides' results on Boxing day and effectively closing the gap on Chelsea to 6 points. The result is perfect as Liverpool gear up to take on Manchester City at Anfield on Saturday.
