The Reds beat Stoke City on penalties after losing 1-0 at Anfield on the night, and given they had won the reverse fixture 1-0 themselves.
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Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to penalty shootout hero Joe Allen after he scored the winning spot kick to send Liverpool into the Capital One Cup final at Stoke’s expense. “So I said, “Come on then”. The Austrian missed out at the weekend thanks to a hamstring strain, and is likely to return in time for this week’s match in search of an eighth goal for Stoke this season.
“It will be special”, he said.
The gangly former England striker got his head to plenty of balls, but it was from an approach more in keeping with Stoke’s football this season that the hosts procured their best first-half chances.
“If the whole of Liverpool goes there it will be good but then we should look at our houses – there will be an empty city”.
Klopp said it was tough to play against a Stoke side that went into the game with a different approach than usual under manager Mark Hughes, with Peter Crouch given a rare start up front for the visitors.
Liverpool have never lost a League Cup semi-final at Anfield and should they prevail will face either Manchester City, or city rivals Everton in the final, clashes which Klopp is relishing.
There was some irony the decisive moment was produced by one of the smallest players on the pitch in a match which manager Jurgen Klopp had predicted just before kick-off would be “a heading festival”.
Stoke have still to win at Anfield since 1959, which includes 31 defeats and five draws, but this was just about as close as you could get.
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Stoke find themselves a goal down after the first-leg and their preparation for the second leg has not been great as they were hammered 3-0 away at Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday. The team has refined its playing style under Hughes to make it more pleasing on the eye, but this was the Stoke of the Tony Pulis years. “But I try to only use things that I think will help us”. It was [Jack] Butland to [Peter] Crouch so it was hard to defend. He was serious, though, when discussing Liverpool’s defensive failings, saying: ‘I’m sorry to say it’s not a problem we can ignore.
