Super Suarez slays Stoke

The Reds dominated for long spells and created countless chances but fell behind on the stroke of half-time to Kenwyne Jones's thumping header.

It looked like being another day of missed chances for the visitors until the Uruguayan conjured up some magic to drag his team level with a stunning curler just after the restart.

From that moment on there was only one winner in it and it was no surprise when Suarez pounced again four minutes from time with a header that broke Stoke hearts.

It means Kenny Dalglish's side are still fighting for honours on three fronts and will approach Saturday tea-time's showdown with West Brom in buoyant mood.

Heading into the contest in the Potteries, the Scot made eight changes to the team that was held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Norwich City.

There was no place for captain Steven Gerrard in the travelling party but Lucas Leiva was involved from the start after serving a one-match suspension against the Canaries.

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The Reds had come away empty-handed from the league encounter at the Britannia Stadium back in September and Dalglish would have urged his side to be more ruthless in front of goal on this occasion.

Indeed, the last time Liverpool visited Stoke at this stage of the league cup, back in 2000-01, they romped to an emphatic 8-0 success on their way to lifting the trophy.

Hopes of a similar scoreline may have been massively optimistic on this occasion but the travelling Kop would have felt the omens were in place for their team to book a place in the last eight and take another step towards Wembley.

They almost made the perfect start too but Andy Carroll made a hash of a free header on three minutes after he had been left unmarked for a left-wing corner.

The effervescent Suarez was busily buzzing around the Stoke rearguard and twice came close to springing the offside trap before Jonathan Walters had Pepe Reina scrambling with an audacious curler from the left-hand edge of the box.

It was a rare foray forward for the home team as Liverpool set about creating a monopoly of possession and they should have been ahead on nine minutes.

Carroll turned and attacked the Stoke defence before unleashing a stinging shot that Thomas Sorenson could only parry into the path of Suarez, but the ball rebounded too quickly for the Uruguayan and the ball flashed harmlessly wide.

The hosts responded and almost stunned Dalglish and co just seconds later when Ryan Shotton dragged well wide of the far post after a left-wing cross was flicked into his path.

The lively opening didn't look like subsiding and a super break involving Lucas, Maxi Rodriguez and Suarez ended with the No.7 curling a cheeky effort into the grateful arms of Sorenson.

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The visitors were carving Stoke open at will and another great opportunity went begging just after the quarter of an hour mark.

Lucas exchanged a delightful one-two with Maxi before crossing low for Suarez. It looked all set to be goal number six for the season for the diminutive marksmen until Sorenson intervened with an outstanding stop from point-blank range.

Dalglish would have been concerned that his side had not made their early superiority count and there were certainly parallels with the league clash earlier in the season as the Reds continued to create countless chances without reward.

Carroll fired straight at Sorenson as the Liverpool bombardment continued up until the 44^th minute when, right out of the blue, the home side snatched an undeserved lead.

Walters dispossessed Sebastian Coates down the right flank before fizzing in a cross that Jones met with a thumping header to leave Reina with no chance.

It was a bitter pill for the away side to swallow after such a dominant first-half display but their profligacy in front of goal was becoming a worryingly familiar theme.

There was even a chance to level deep into stoppage time but Suarez dragged wide after weaving himself into a shooting position on the right side of the area.

The Liverpool players could have been forgiven for scratching their heads in bewilderment at the interval scoreline and Dalglish would have been insisting that his team restart the match in a similar way to which they began it.

However, they would have to do it without skipper for the day, Jamie Carragher who was replaced by Martin Skrtel for the second period.

Stoke are notoriously difficult to break down on home turf, particularly when protecting a lead, so it was looking more and more likely a piece of magic was the order of the day.

Fortunately for Liverpool they have one of the world's most breathtaking talents in their ranks in the form of Suarez.

There appeared to be little danger to the City goal when the No.7 picked up the ball just outside the left section of the penalty area. However, a sublime nutmeg on Shotton saw the striker glean a sight of goal before curling a sensational right-foot strike into the far corner.

Suddenly, it was game on again and the travelling Kop responded in strong voice behind Reina's goal, with the Spaniard now assuming a role as a virtual spectator.

The invention that had seen the Reds create a raft of openings may have faded but as the game entered the final stages it was the away team who continued to pose most of the questions.

Dalglish shuffled his pack by bringing on Craig Bellamy in place of Maxi and the Welshman almost made an instant impact when he hit the post from 20 yards.

It seemed all set for extra-time but with just four minutes to go Suarez pounced with a fine header to steer Liverpool into the last eight and keep their Wembley dream alive.

Liverpoolfc.tv man of the match: Luis Suarez