Stoke City v Liverpool: Matchday blog
Liverpool defeated Stoke City 3-0 at the Bet 365 Stadium on Wednesday, thanks to a goal from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah's second-half double.
Jürgen Klopp's verdict
The boss was asked about topics including Mo Salah, Dom Solanke, Sadio Mane and rotation during his post-match press conference.
Find out what he had to say here
And here's how the table looks after that...
The tale of tonight's game in Opta stats and widgets...
Full Time
Reds get the win
Mohamed Salah comes off the bench to score twice to add to Sadio Mane's opener and give Liverpool a 3-0 win at Stoke City.
Chance
Stoke should have pulled one back but Diouf smashes the crossbar unmarked from eight yards out and then hits the rebound over the bar with Mignolet grounded.
Substitution
Henderson is on for Mane for the remaining few moments.
Goal
GOAL! MOHAMED SALAH!
He's done it again!
Salah chases down Can's ball forward, puts Pieters under pressure and then nicks it away from him to go clean through before clinically dispatching underneath Grant.
And now he's on 17 for the season...
Mane meets Salah's corner at the near post and crashes a header into the side netting
GOAL! MOHAMED SALAH!
More magic from Mo as he doubles Liverpool's lead and claims goal No.16 of the season so far.
Mane's persistance sees him win the ball on the right, he bursts into the box and stands it up to the back post, where Salah meets it with a first-time volley that he cracks into the back of the net from eight yards out.
Wonderful, wonderful stuff.
Substitution
Stoke change - Choupo-Moting off, Jese on.
Yellow Card
Now Mane is booked for blocking off Allen.
Chance
Two former Liverpool men combine as Crouch heads down into the path of Allen, who smacks a half-volley well over the crossbar.
A goal seemed certain, there.
Substitution
Double LFC change - Milner and Salah on, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solanke off.
Yellow Card
Martins Indi is shown yellow for blocking off Oxlade-Chamberlain's burst down the wing.
A Stoke free-kick into the box is half-cleared by Mignolet's punch. It falls kindly for Diouf, whose strike cannons against Can.
Yellow Card
Wijnaldum goes into the book now for a mistimed tackle on Pieters.
Liverpool counter at speed from a Stoke corner, but Moreno's eventual effort is blocked by a defender.
Yellow Card
Emre Can is booked for hauling back Shaqiri.
Oxlade-Chamberlain powers to the byline and pulls it back into the danger zone. There's momentary panic inside the Stoke six-yard box but eventually they clear.
It's been a lively start to the second half, with both teams pressing.
Wijnaldum has an effort on the spin blocked in the Stoke box
Chance
A let-off for Liverpool as Gomez's clearance from Shaqiri's cross drops for Allen, but his side-footer takes a nick and heads wide.
Kick-Off
Back under way...
Liverpool re-start the game at the bet365 Stadium, where they hold a 1-0 lead over Stoke.
What are the odds?
Here's how BetVictor see it at half-time...
Stoke City: 21/1
Draw: 6/1
Liverpool: 2/13
Fancy a flutter? Click here to place a bet with BetVictor.
Half Time
Reds lead at the break
After what ultimately proved to be an eventful opening half, Liverpool go in leading 1-0 at the break thanks to Sadio Mane's 17th-minute finish.
Can creates half a yard on the edge of the box and strikes... it's well wide.
Chance!
Firmino's flick allows Solanke to send Mane clean through on goal from about 40 yards out.
The forward races through and shoots... only to see it hit the outside of the post and go behind.
Shaqiri steps up...and cannons his kick into the wall and behind for a corner.
A let off for Liverpool.
Yellow Card
Mignolet trips Diouf inside the D on the edge of the Reds' box to stop him going through and gets a yellow. Stoke also have a free-kick in a dangerous position.
Chance
Liverpool absolutely carve Stoke open with some wonderful one-touch football that results in Firmino flicking into the path of Solanke; however, his shot is too close to Grant.
Mignolet has to punch Shaqiri's cross clear under pressure from Crouch. Stoke starting to threaten here.
A first chance for Stoke as Can's acrobatic clearance falls invitingly for Fletcher on the edge of the area, who meets it with a crisp half-volley. Thankfully, it cannons against a crowd of orange shirts and Shaqiri's follow-up is well, well off target.
Oxlade-Chamberlain strikes low left-footed towards the bottom corner after Gomez's long throw was onto partially cleared by Shawcross, but it's a routine take for Grant.
Nicely done, Sadio...
Goal
GOAL! SADIO MANE!
Liverpool have the lead - and given they've dominated since the off, it's probably just what they deserve.
Stoke are aggrieved, though - they felt the ball went out of play as Gomez cut it back from the byline to Solanke.
Play continued, however, and the youngster nudged it on to Mane, who pushed it beyond Shawcross and beautifully chipped it over Grant.
Well, he did say yesterday he was sure the goals were coming for him... Get in!
Mane slides Moreno into a great crossing position down the left; however, his attempted centre is blocked by Zouma.
Oxlade-Chamberlain stands up a cross towards the back post where Mane looks to meet it, but Grant is able to collect.
Kick-Off
And we're off...
...Stoke kick the game off and we're under way at the bet365 Stadium. Come on you Reds!
Here come the teams...
The Reds arrive...
Simon Mignolet captains Liverpool tonight with Jordan Henderson and James Milner on the bench.
Klopp on six changes
Jürgen Klopp has explained why he's made six changes to his starting line-up for tonight's game.
You can read the reasons why by clicking here.
Inside the dressing room...
TEAM NEWS
The teamsheets are in here at the Bet365 Stadium, and Jürgen Klopp has made six changes to his starting line-up.
Dominic Solanke comes in for his first Premier League start, with Dejan Lovren, Emre Can, Gini Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane also included in the Reds’ XI.
Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Phil Coutinho and Mo Salah drop to the bench, but Ragnar Klavan misses out due to illness. Adam Lallana is omitted as a precaution because of a minor muscle strain.
Team in full: Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Wijnaldum, Can, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mane, Solanke, Firmino.
Subs: Karius, Milner, Coutinho, Salah, Henderson, Sturridge, Alexander-Arnold.
Jürgen's preview...
Missed the manager's pre-match press conference yesterday? Watch it again below in our free YouTube video below now.
More from Oxlade-Chamberlain...
As mentioned earlier, we caught up with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of tonight's game. You can watch an extended version of our pre-match chat in the video below now...
The stage is set...
...at a cold bet365 Stadium.
A very, very cold bet365 Stadium.
Shouting the odds
Here's how BETVICTOR see tonight going...
Stoke City 6/1
Draw 15/4
Liverpool 1/2
Travel advice
Stoke City are advising fans attending this evening's game to allow extra time for their journey due to a clash with Trentham Estate Christmas light switch-on.
The boss in Kirkby
With preparations for the first team's game all but done, Jürgen Klopp took time out yesterday evening to watch the U18s in action at the Academy.
Read a report and check out pictures from the young Reds' 1-1 draw with Manchester City here.
Solanke vows to be ready
He may have had few chances to shine in a Liverpool shirt so far, but Dominic Solanke insists he will be ready when the next opportunity arises.
"You've just got to keep working hard," the striker told the Liverpool Echo.
"Obviously at a big club like Liverpool there's always going to be great players and sometimes to get past them is hard but you've just got to keep working and play your part for the team."
Flashback
Remember our last trip to Stoke City? Here's a little reminder...
Take a walk down memory lane with our look through the Reds' last five visits to the Potteries here.
Inside Training
Go behind the scenes at Melwood to see how preparations for this evening's game went with our clip from LFCTV GO below.
'You're terrifying!'
Some great lines in our view from Stoke preview piece, which you can read here.
Weather
Wrap up warm
If you're heading to Stoke this evening, be aware that temperatures are expected to drop to around one degree celsius come kick-off.
To the uninitiated, that's freezing! Get some layers on...
Stats and facts
Philippe Coutinho could match a goalscoring record set by Steven Gerrard if he finds the net this evening.
Find out what that milestone is here.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: The boss has told us all to be ready
An excellent pre-match read from the official website's Sam Williams, who sat down with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at Melwood yesterday to preview tonight's game.
On the topic of rotation, the No.21 said: "He sat us down and said: ‘You’re all going to be needed here. I know people are going to be disappointed when they’re pulled out or not playing, but you’re all going to be used so make sure you’re all ready.’"
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to Liverpoolfc.com's live matchday blog for tonight's Premier League fixture against Stoke City.
Why not start by checking out how the two teams have shaped up so far this season with our Opta widget below.