Five things we loved in comeback against Stoke...
The manner of Liverpool's 2-1 victory at Stoke City will live long in the memory.
From the disappointment of a first half that ended with Jürgen Klopp’s side behind to the determined Potters, to the elation of Roberto Firmino’s winner crashing into the net, the Premier League clash perfectly fitted the ‘game of two halves’ cliché.
Here are five things we loved in Saturday’s comeback…
Phil sets Premier League record…
Philippe Coutinho’s calmly-finished equaliser on 69 minutes not only changed the course of the match at the bet365 Stadium, but set a new landmark for Brazilian goalscorers in the league.
The No.10 moved onto 30 in the division since joining the Reds in January 2013 with the strike against Stoke, his third in three appearances – clear of Juninho (29), Oscar (21) and teammate Firmino (20).
Samba stars inspire in second half…
Klopp could not have wished for a better impact from Coutinho and Firmino than that which the Brazilian duo produced after entering the action at the outset of the second half.
Illness and fatigue had affected the attackers ahead of the fixture, meaning places on the bench at kick-off, but they shrugged off those issues to turn the contest around in scintillating fashion, scoring the crucial goals in the space of 126 seconds.
‘Outstanding’ Simon takes plaudits…
At the other end, Simon Mignolet performed heroics to keep the Potters at bay before and after the quickfire comeback from Liverpool midway through the second period.
First, the Belgian thwarted former Reds midfielder Charlie Adam when he looked certain to blast in from close range. Then, the goalkeeper reacted superbly to block on the line as Saido Berahino pounced on Marko Arnautovic’s cross to the back post.
The latter was described as ‘one of the best saves I’ve ever seen’ by Klopp.
And the Man of the Match accolade…
There were numerous Man of the Match candidates for Liverpool by the end of the afternoon, and perhaps you could predict Coutinho or Firmino to take the award for being catalysts of the comeback.
But, it was Mignolet who deservedly received the most votes from fans in our Twitter poll, amassing 39 per cent of the 14,593 cast shortly after the final whistle.
Full-time celebrations…
Relief mixed with joy once the final whistle had confirmed three points for the visitors and a result that may prove vital in the intense battle for a Champions League qualification spot.
And those emotions were encapsulated by the hard-earned celebrations of the manager, players and vocal travelling supporters once the result was in the bag.