Clarke hails 'impossible' shot
Steve Clarke believes it would have been impossible for any goalkeeper to save what he describes as a 'very special goal' from Luis Suarez on Wednesday night.
The Uruguay international fired both goals as the Reds progressed to the Carling Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Stoke City.
But it was Suarez's first - involving a nutmeg on Ryan Shotton and a sensational curl beyond Thomas Sorensen - that drew looks of awe from all four stands in the Britannia Stadium.
"We had a great angle from the bench because we were sitting right behind the flight of the ball," first-team coach Clarke told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"As soon as he did the nutmeg on the defender and curled it, you could tell it was always going to end up in the back of the net. Most of us were up celebrating.
"The actual shot, the way it curled away, made it impossible for the goalkeeper to get a touch on it. The little bit of skill was fantastic and the shot was even better."
Liverpool have gone through a period notable for missed chances lately - and Clarke hopes Suarez's antics will be the start of a more fruitful phase.
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"The way it's been recently for us, it was going to take either a very lucky goal or a very special goal to turn the luck for us. Last night was a very special goal," he said.
"If you go through a spell where the goals are not going in, all you can do in training is re-emphasise to the players to relax on the shot, take their time, pick their spot. A training situation and a match situation are totally different because you can't replicate the pressure of a match situation in training."
Meanwhile, Clarke insists it is too early to assess Suarez's fitness for the weekend following a night when three or four Liverpool players picked up knocks.
Our No.7 limped off in the closing stages to be replaced by Dirk Kuyt.
"Luis had a little knock," said Clarke. "We gave him a warm down and some massage this morning.
"We had three or four players who got knocks last night. Twenty four hours after a game it's difficult to judge but on Friday we'll assess the squad, do training and decide who'll go to West Brom for the game."